Forbidden Heritage
by Drop of Silence
Summary: After the Great Toad Sage's warning, the revelation begins as Naruto prepares himself to take on Akatsuki. Things would have been far more easier if Sakura hadn't tagged along. NaruSaku pairing. Spoilers.
1. Is The Beginning

_**Disclaimer**_: I Do Not Own Naruto

**A/N: Please read and enjoy! The story will be focusing on Naruto and Sakura.**

**Genre: Romance, Drama, Adventure, (Humor), Tragedy, Action**

**Summary: **After the Great Toad Sage's warning, the revelation begins as Naruto prepares himself to take on Akatsuki. Things would have been far more easier if Sakura hadn't tagged along. NaruSaku pairing. Spoilers.

**BE WARNED OF MAJOR SPOILERS**

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**Start**

Despite the fact that nothing else could be heard through the forest's deafening silence, Jiraiya could hear himself palpitate the more they covered the aching distance that brought them to their designation. Next to him was an avid ninja who longed for this day to come, his sunny aura glowing by the minute just as the man's apprehension rapidly increased.

"Why don't we take a break, eh, Naruto?" asked Jiraiya who couldn't help but glance at his student from the corner of his eye from time to time.

"A break? We just had one a minute ago!" said Naruto, whose evident grin widened at an impossible length, "c'mon old man, we're just so close, I can feel it!"

They swept through the fortress of greenery and dove deeper until they ventured beneath denser foliage, scattering the daylight into miniscule rays. The air grew as dense as the blood that flowed through the hermit's veins; the air grew more humid as his discomfort gradually increased. The nearer they got, the more he regretted.

"It's great to know that you can finally sense the Frog's Haven, but are you sure you're ready for this? We still have to get to The Hidden Village of Rain" reminded Jiraiya, finally sensing the proximity of the area as well. Naruto just vigorously shook his head. The hermit sighed, inwardly beating himself up, why did The Great Toad Sage suddenly call on to Naruto?

"It's this feeling isn't it, ero-sennin, the one you mentioned to me about when The Great Toad Sage told you of your future, right? It's an opportunity that's needed to be prioritized above all else!" responded Naruto whose youth emerged from within, "right? Right?"

Jiraiya just held his tongue, once more regretting that he shouldn't have drowned himself with wine when he's around the boy. The hermit did not take his somber demeanor back when Naruto glanced at his sensei.

Naruto just grinned at the man for all he cared. If Jiraiya was simply just jealous that he wasn't going to get another reading, then so be it, the man's quite old already and had done most of his part to the world. Finally, it was his turn to actually gain an insight on his future, and he'd better see himself as the Sixth Hokage somewhere in there. Just having the very thought of it further invigorated his speed and zealousness, unconsciously releasing a massive pump of chakra to his feet before leaping several hundred meters away from Jiraiya.

The hermit, who was already at his top speed, withdrew a soldier pill and chewed it with hesitance. With a burst of stored energy released to his chakra system and a heart stabbing line of powerful curses, he bolted towards Naruto. Before they knew it, they arrived at the Toad Haven earlier than they expected.

Naruto landed on a grass clearing that revealed a lake outlined by a rocky boundary with a small waterfall in between two baleful boulders that roughly took in the form of two toads... which would only be possible if you were very imaginative enough to do so, or were simply having some delusional ideas. Nonetheless, it was what the blonde ninja claimed, a little something Jiraiya found amusing; it must have been his ardent enthusiasm that got the boy going.

"Some genjutsu going on here," said Naruto who stated the obvious, "a reason why the waterfall could only be heard when we're this near, right?"

Jiraiya nodded once after landing next to his student

"Where do we go from here?" asked Naruto, eyes randomly darting around in search for some sort of entrance

Jiraiya raised and lowered his shoulders, lazily lolling his head towards the boy, "you said you know where you're going—"

"There!" gasped Naruto, rigidly outstretching his hand forth with a pointed finger.

"You sure it's the waterfall?" asked Jiraiya, quirking a brow

"Sure am!" with a burst of impossible gusto, Naruto left a trail on the watery surface and ran straight through the vertical torrent to only to meet another rocky wall. As a result, he fell back from the impact and sunk down the lake as he tended to his bleeding face, hands clutching his nose as he went.

Jiraiya couldn't help but chuckle to himself, reminding him of his first time as well; Naruto's blood was his key for entrance. A crimson cloud billowed beneath the lake's filmy surface as a miniscule area bubbled, tainting the rest of the water with its hue. Emerging from the lake, Naruto, who bore a sour demeanor with a hand on his nose, snapped the bone back in place before pointing an accusing figure at the man whose laughter escalated to a reverberating howl.

Jiraiya held his sides in hopes of calming down, but with a student who consistently poured their teacher with malevolent threats, the hermit failed miserably, scorching his student's face red with embarassment.

"SHUT UP!!" roared Naruto, hurling a massive wave of water towards Jiraiya with his chakra. The blonde furrowed his brows when the rushing torrent died down before it reached past its rocky border, a pulse of chakra rippled through the lake, and Naruto, who finally came to his senses, emerged from the water with chakra embedded feet.

Silence infiltrated the mirthful atmosphere the moment light filtered from the relentless fall of the vertical torrent. The younger of the two snapped his head back to the waterfall and awed at the kanji that read _oil_ glowing right behind its watery wall. Naruto looked over his shoulder and receiving an approving nod from his mentor, with careful steps, he walked towards the waterfall, and let the light devour his range of sight.

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Amongst many other things that Naruto could focus his eyes on, they remained on the wisened toad, though smaller than Gamabunta, was fairly massive. It wore nothing else but a beaded necklace that had the writing _oil_ in kanji on the largest bead.

"Ho, ho, ho, you're here, eh?" croaked the herculean toad, its voice reverberating almost chaotically on the walls if it weren't for caution. The toad hummed thoughtfully before speaking, "Who are you again?"

"His name's Naruto, Great Sage, the student of Jiraiya!" croaked a toad on Naruto's left. The blonde suspected the amphibian's feature and presence

"Jiraiya?" repeated the Great Sage

"No, No, No! _Naruto_!!" corrected the toad on Naruto's left. It had thick, white brows, its miniscule body clad in a robe fit for its size, this toad was better known as 'Pa'

"Oh yes, yes, yes, the great pervert's student" smiled the Great Sage

"You called him yourself, you senile old fart!" croaked the toad on Naruto's right, once more

"Old fart?! Ma, don't call the Great Sage an old fart--didn't we already have this conversation some good years ago?!" spat Pa

Naruto couldn't help but grin to compensate his furrowed brows and scratch at the back of his head, alleviating any sort of impolite gestures, inwarldy noting that the Great Sage was indeed old and senile.

"No fighting children. A husband and wife have to be nice to each other." Reprimanded the said toad, finally turning to Naruto, it spoke, "now then... who are you, young man?"

Naruto's quirked a brow, hearing the toad on his right mutter something along the lines of nostalgia.

"Naruto-chan" began Pa, "The Great Sage had a vision concerning you, like your mentor Jiraiya-chan. As you know, this vision amounts to the prediction you have about your future. Listen well!"

The Great Toad Sage began, "now then... if you head out now, you'll surely die, when the table turns, his spirit will fly. When the wise man falls, turn to his mate, it is she who holds the start of this fate. When you've broken a barrier, don't wait, slice through your path before it's too late. Cross blades in the night, don't make them the bait and bear the burden of your duty's weight. Your actions be numbered, carved on a slate; the cycle will end on the death god's plate.

Before Naruto could even bring himself to speak, he felt a sharp tug from the center of his mind and felt the barriers of his skull close in, pressuring his brain as it threatened to explode. Naruto fell to his knees, agonizing moans echoed hauntingly through the dark chamber, voices reverberating through whispers before a flash of light stripped the surrounding's color into mere black and white, devouring outlines until there were none.

Naruto, driven back by an invisible force that can be felt through chakra pulses, saw the sky move before his eyes; its corners tinted with blots of black and red and heard nothing more but the rapid beating of his maddened heart. A wave of pain overshadowed him with each cycle his blood circulated through his veins. His rhythm of life muffled coherent words; his conscience that slipped away from his flesh-bounded body dragged him along, leaving him at peace accompanied by a dreamless slumber.

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Jiraiya overcame his blindness from the flash of light, utlimately caught off guard when he found himself staggering in his steps with ragged breaths. He hated the impact set to those uncalled, him being considered one confused him. The moment he regained his vision, he saw his student fall back from his stand and inch closer to the lake's surface.

Quickly, the man ran to Naruto's aid, catching him before he sank to the water and inhales the liquid. Kneeling down to set Naruto's head on his lap, he shook the boy by the shoulders to keep him from passing out.

"Naruto," growled Jiraiya, "stay with me boy..."

"Relax," croaked a toad. The man turned to the amphibian that resembled a stone the size of his fist, it perched on the rocky boulder with unblinking eyes, "the boy just passed out after meeting The Great Toad Sage"

With narrowed eyes, Jiraiya spoke, "What did he tell the boy?"

The toad just chuckled, "you'll have to ask the kid yourself," and with that, it jumped back into the water.

Jiraiya sighed, "Why do I get a bad feeling over this?"

_(If you head out now, you'll surely die)_

Slinging the unconscious Naruto over his shoulder, he continued his path towards the Hidden Village of Rain. He promised his student that they'd be doing this together, and pressumably Naruto would soon awaken when they arrived.

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Naruto stirred, and the next thing he knew he felt crimson liquid splatter on his face and clothes. Forcefully shoving the sleep off his eyes, the sight before him registered in his brain. Before him was the hermit's back with a metal edge sticking far out from behind him, its blade stained with fresh blood that tainted his white hair.

The image was surreal.

_(When the tables had turned, his spirit will fly)_

"J-Jiraiya?" gasped Naruto, struggling to stand upright, a kunai drawn in hand. Inwardly cursing as he regained his composture, standing before the hermit. Jiraiya grabbed his student's sleeve, delivering him a reprimanding gaze. Naruto paid no attention to this, but rather, the blood that trailed down the corners of the man's mouth and the katana driven through his throat.

"Who did this?" growled Naruto, intense bloodlust looming his being, "don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei, the moment I get rid of this fucking Akatsuki, we'll be back in Konoha and everything will be all--"

His sentence failed to continue at the sudden tug around his waist, eyes widening as everything moved on an achingly slow pace. He watched his sensei give him a small smile as four men clothed in Akatsuki robes approach him with katanas in hand. Naruto felt helpless as he watched his vulnerable sensei from a growing distance.

What the hell was going on?! Why couldn't he move?! Naruto struggled and gripped on the tight binding that wrapped his waist, he glanced down it was a... tongue? He looked around the pink that framed his vision, it must be a frog's mouth, a summon from Jiraiya. It closed and darkness devoured his surrounding.

"Let me out!" roared Naruto, stabbing the damp surface he sat on to regain his footing and blindly charge to where he assumed the opening was. He one-handedly formed a rasengan out of sheer fury and embedding his whole hand to a wall that his palm met.

Nothing.

Naruto drew back slightly and reformed another rasengan, slightly enlarging its size before driving it on his target through the darkness. The ball of wind glowed in his faint blue chakra, dispersing as it reached the same wall.

"Fuck, damn, shit!" hissed Naruto, as he repeated his ministrations over and over, rasengan's winds whipping at his face, chakra glowing brighter with each increased size.

"_The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives but how he dies_"

Naruto blinked and blindly spun his head; he knew that voice. Silence reigned in the darkness, while the blonde screwed his eyes shut and pried them wide open, but it was all done in vain since it made no difference.

"_It's not what they do in life, but what they did before dying that proves their worth..._"

"Jiraiya-sensei!" hollered Naruto, rasengan began to brew in his hand, "don't die, you hear? Don't die yet you perverted hermit, you! Don't give up! Never give up!!"

Naruto felt a trail of warmth depart from his eyes and roll down his cheeks, and then a light of hope rekindled, though it was faint, he heard a response.

"_Never give up..._" repeated Jiraiya

"That's right sensei! That's the choice you have to make!" screamed Naruto as he further enlarged his rasengan, the narrow trail down his cheek escalated to a torrent that gushed from his eyes, his palm blindly drove towards the damp wall

"_Naruto..._"

_If you head out now, you'll surely die  
When the tables have turned, his spirit will fly_

Though that verse that echoed in his head sounded painfully familiar, it didn't matter to him now that he felt his rasengan penetrate the damp barrier, allowing light to deluge the surrounding darkness: He was out...

_**To be continued...**_

**A/N: hmm... please do comment**


	2. With Their Fate

**A/N: Yowza!! Sorry for the uber long delay. Life surely caught up with me, fencing in my internet system as I take flight from two countries, on a one way trip and two way trip. Listen up, am getting in college, and hell, who knew those rotten files of highschool records are direly needed for the requirements. So... explains for the long hold up. Hope you'll enjoy this, please read on and let the plot unfold!**__

_**Disclaimer**_: I Do Not Own Naruto

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**Start**

_Beep_

It was more than disconcerting to realize that everything you have invested in had all been done in vain.

_Beep_

It was more than distressing to realize that you were too late to interfere with fate

_Beep_

But then again, it was Fate's twisted ways to make itself satisfied with the way it manipulated the lives of mere mortals, to have them believe that they can avoid the inevitable by writing their destiny down with their own hands, to make their own choices and turns; when, in the end, it was to trick any of you to ensure that everything had been done the way it was written, the way Fate had it written.

Beneath the white sheets of the hospital, confined in the room with a wide window occupying the left wall, Naruto lay in bed with an impassive demeanor and a lethargic presence, staring at the empty whiteness of the ceiling. Almost all of the effort he had put into to escape the walls of a frog's mouth was rather futile.

Now swathed with white bandages, and clad in white robes, he just lay there with all the negativites of his insignificant caliber drowning him in his thoughts, as thousands of possible scenarios played in his head if he were only more productive enough. He despised the burden he stitched unto the Frog Sannin's back, and deluded his thoughts of failure.

The sound of abrupt knocks on his door was left unnoticed, allowing the Hokage to enter with or without permission from the male, she, after all, had the power to do what she wants, and right now, she wants Naruto to pull himself together once and for all. Her high heels tapped the white marbled floor as she approached his bed, with Shizune behind her to shut the door as they entered.

With her hands on her hips, she stood by the foot of his bed and set her penetrating gaze unto his empty ones.

"Naruto, you are healthy enough to get out of this place, heck, you would even defy the medic nins if they forced you to stay here for a week! Get up and stop moping, you have a whole life ahead of you"

Silence reigned in through Naruto's indifference, excluding the monitor that kept its relentless note of his heartbeat through wires connected to his skin.

"Naruto," huffed Tsunade, on the verge of losing her self control

He just let his brows sink lower above his dead eyes, almost giving him an aggravated outlook of defiance. Almost animately, the Hokage grabbed the metal railing of his footboard and lifted it off the ground, tilting it to the side to get Naruto out of bed.

He landed effortlessly on his feet, letting an air of elegance brush against his robes to reveal the absence of the young boy they all knew. With his back turned to them, Naruto negligently looked over his shoulder with dull eyes before looking away to mask the emotions that was about to take its toll. With the eerie one-liner the monitor screeched out of his reported _death_, due to the disconnection of the wires in the process of Tsunade's wake up method, Naruto spoke.

"Jiraiya's gone isn't he?"

Tsunade hardened her gaze and heavily set the bed down, shaking the whole of the room. The fort of silence began its defence, but Naruto hacked into its walls before it strengthened

"Tsunade-san," his hardened voice softened with a firm tone, "I'm sorry"

She sighed in her response, before walking up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He didn't turn around to accept the comforting hug she gave him, he didn't even return the hug he received, heck, he just stood there like a statue until she pulled away, immediately sensing his indifference to anything that tried to keep him at ease.

Naruto still had his back on her, his silence to everything had said enough, and eventually it wormed its way to Tsunade's discomfort. There was something she was appointed to for Naruto's sake, things she knew that Naruto should acknowledge.

"Shizune, give us a minute will you?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama"

"Naruto," began Tsunade, "Jiraiya wanted... he was... it was his obligation" she sighed, realizing the difficulty of performing a task another was supposed to do, and remebered why she denied to accept the responisibility, "actually, it was your father who left Jiraiya something for you to later on accept"

Albeit the lack of Naruto's vocal response, she was very well sure that he was listening, since it concerned something both of his sensei and his father. Aware that it was an opening speech she improvised on, she flowed with it, "there are things you need to know and be aware of"

"Like what?"

With a weary sigh, Tsunade knew she was in for an emotional ride, and she hated it.

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Sakura's mind was like the troubled seas of maelstroms, where alabaster waves relentlessly comes crashing down unto another. They were so close to capturing Sasuke, who fainted after his victorious feat against his now deceased brother, Itachi. If that orange-masked Akatsuki had just not interfered with their journey, they would have reached him.

Then again, if the said member had not arrived, they wouldn't have been informed with Naruto and Jiraiya's progress. Kakashi teleported the whole platoon to the scene just in time to defend the surviving blonde from the four Peins they met back then.

She shook her head back into reality, her boots echoing her presence down the empty white hall. She was in the area of the hospital where ninjas clinging on to the strings of life are quarantied to undergo some intense recuperation supervised by experienced medic-nins, Sakura was supposed to be one of the best, having to be trained under Tsunade.

Aside from the emptiness that the corridors embraced, the looming misery accompanied with it. The dull fluorescent lights lined in a row in the ceilings reminded Sakura of the darker days she had to put up with, losing her loved one's important people was far more painful than losing hers, for guilt had a knack for preventing her evenings peaceful. She knew that the dark presence of said feeling would once again arise from its slumber and track her down in its passionate torments, for it was Naruto who was involved in her failure.

Of all the people she knew, it was someone dear to Naruto that died before her hands and her shishou's. And that was what bothered her, for most of the performances she executed with her mistress, the chances of sheer failure was nearly as impossible.

Releasing the heavy tension that knotted her chest, she heaved a deep sigh as she dragged her feet to the room right down the hall. Now that Jiraiya was dead, she was appointed to terminate the knowledge embedded on the man's body for the sake of keeping the village's secrets. It was a disturbing task during the process which she had learned to overcome during her years of accomplishments, but the thought of doing it on the Frog Sannin seemed to have drawn the discomfort back on her mind.

Thrown back to the happenings of the current world, she realized that she now faced the door to his room, and was bound to enter it sometime soon. Desperately shoving the remnants of her thoughts and horror, she held the metal knob, twisted it and walked in.

In the middle of the dimly lit room was the standard hospital bed on wheels, occupied by a human mass masked by a simple white blanket, where shelves upon shelves of medical materials are lined up against the snowy walls. With silence emphasising the taps of her heels on the marble tiles, she approached the still corpse and gripped the hem of the sheet.

Slightly lowering it low enough to reveal his slumbering façade, she held her breath, closed her eyes and transferred chakra to her fingertips, ready to extract the numerous knowledge stored in his brain. She scanned his mind and saw the expected, flashing images of naked women, pages of written scraps he called a masterpiece of a novel, the face of the blonde male with countless emotions written on the younger man's face. Until time had taken its course through her chakra and her journey through his past, Naruto gradually grew younger as she probed deeper into Jiraiya's mind, and the number of books he had written dawned to his very beginning.

Holding back the shock of the rapid images of the Yondaime and a redheaded woman she later on learned to be Uzumaki Kushina, thousands of the unexpected wordless descriptions had penetrated through Sakura's mind as she soon learned who Naruto's parents were, and what his father had in store for him.

The journey through his mind soon became unwilling for Sakura and desperately wanted to withdraw, but once again something unexpected interfered her. She felt a wave of purified chakra hold her still, forcing her hands to grasp the rope that tugged her farther into the dead man's mind; it scared her. His life force had kicked back in place and began leading her through the deep abyss he had held secret to many others, he, the deceased Jiraiya, was allowing her, Haruno Sakura, to break into the sanctuary of his mind.

Memories of his past rapidly rushed past her like a thousand images flickering to life within seconds, until she was thrown into a dark room, landing face first and registering the mortal pain that took its toll on her fragile body. She scrambled to her feet and slightly lost her balance, everything around her was pitch black and cold. Tossing her head wildly around, she was virtually blind and panicked.

She was in a stage her mentor had mentioned to her about, this was _the warning_ her mentor haplessly explained to her about. Quickly resuming her attempts to withdraw had proved useless to her wake; and she knew that there was one thing left for her to do.

"Let me out Jiraiya!"

And in an instant, a red armchair illuminated in the darkness before her, radiating frightening warmth that lulled her in a state of vulnerability. A familiar man sat on its red cushions, fully clothed in his mortal apparel; with his torso leaning forth, elbows on knees and a signature, coy smirk on his tranquil visage, framed by the stray locks of his wild, snowy do, he spoke

"Not unless you listen well, Sakura-chan"

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Silence reeled in the tension like a fish caught by the bait, and Tsunade wondered if she should have opted for another time other than this, for revealing the last bit of knowledge to Naruto now might shatter his whole being. She nibbled the corner of her mouth, apprehensinve of the outcome of his future reaction, for she feared that she let all the revelation to come crashing down on Naruto like a thundering waterfall.

"My father is the Fourth," deadpanned Naruto. Tsunade remained silent, aware that this reaction was bound to scurry along the way, though in a more lively manner and not one in languor. A short laughter escaped Naruto's lips, causing his shoulders to rise and lower once, he turned his head around and spoke, "and I'm his experiment?"

"It's not like that!" retorted Tsunade, utterly outraged with the way the Fourth's son had perceived the idea to be.

"Then what is it?" hissed Naruto, all forms of fury brewing in the very room, as his voice ventured its way to a thundering roar "am I his pet? His toy? His goddamned tool?!"

"No Naruto!" shrieked Tsunade, chest heaving as she calmed from rage, tears threatening to weaken her dominant outlook, "you're his son Naruto, his successor, his _legacy_"

Pacified, Tsunade further explained to clear the boy's mind, he was given the information, the knowledge and be it the history of his sensei and father's deeds, but he lacked reasoning, and she was more than happy to fill in that part

"Naruto, as I've said before, Jiraiya and Minato, your father could might as well pass as Seal Masters, but for a reason other than power. Ever since Akatsuki had been formed, Jiraiya had managed to realize their goal for extracting all demons and storing them in the statue you've seen when rescuing Gaara, your father then went into deep research, unknown by many and remained a secret that only Jiraiya and I knew.

"It was a dangerous journey of gaining unearthly knowledge, to intertwine your mind with the secrets of heaven and hell was a forbidden task any mortal was allowed to gain access to. Your father was destined to be in Limbo because of that, a consequence that we all knew." Tsunade paused, gazing sympathetically at Naruto's visage, pained and worned out from the mental torments he underwent by simply exposing his naïve mind to such clandestine information

"What is it that you want out of this all, Naruto? Tell me what you want to do with--"

"Destroy the Akatsuki" muttered Naruto with a raspy voice that chilled her spine, "as planned"

Tsunade mustered the deepest breath she could and sighed heavily through closed eyes, prying her lids open, she stared lethargically at the younger blonde and muttered, "it is inevitable isn't it. Well, now that we have that cleared out, I shall continue.

"Somehow, Minato stumbled into forbidden territory and finally found inscriptions of ancient writing that involved demons, their effective seals, and a pandemonium. Well, that's as far as how my knowledge goes anyways. Unfortunately, I can't exactly go in depth with details of things that your father had encountered with... and from there Naruto, lies secrets where you must decipher on your own."

Naruto's brows furrowed at the lack of the Hokage's speech and somehow yearned for more words, finding comfort in them for they granted him the sence of knowledge that doused his ignorance. Tsunade was arming him with her wisdom, and needed more of it. When he finally sensed the end of their conversation, or her explanation as we put it that way, he spoke with carefully chosen words, "What happens now?"

A lighthearted smirk framed the Godaime's face, crossing her arms below her bosom and resting all weight on her left foot, "you're on an S-ranked mission, boy. A mission to know the secrets of your father, a heritage that is rightfully yours"

Just as a wave of noble air began to set its course, Naruto had broken from the icy silence to voice out his main concern

"And what of Akatsuki?"

"What the hell is wrong with you, boy?" barked Tsunade, thoroughly upset that he ruined the moment, "of course it would mean kicking some Akatsuki ass as well"

A small smirk graced Naruto's darkened visage, "when do I head out?"

"Hmph," excitement glimmered in the Slug Sannin's eyes, "as soon as you want"

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"I hope you understand your obligations by now, kid" huffed Jiriaya, leaning back

"I do" responded Sakura, "would that be all, sir?"

"Yeah, just get out" smirked Jiraiya, lazily fanning his hand towards her, motioning her departure.

With a sudden force layered on to her back, Sakura gasped the air that had been stolen from her as she was forcefully tugged out of that place. Her sight registered nothing more but blurred lines of swift movement, her stomach churned at the unnatural speed and finally stumbled back into the arms of another as she broke out in heavy sweat.

She rapidly blinked and let all the earthly details sink back unto her. The moist air in the room, the distinct noise of her heavy breathing, and the warm hold that secured her weight upright, realizing that she was slightly hovering over the cold tiles with numbed legs turned jelly. Acknowling the rhythm of the wind that blew on her moistening skin from behind, the voice of her mistress also registered in her mind.

"You alright, Sakura?" she asked

"_Promise me that you will tell no one of this"_

Recalling what the late Frog Sannin had said, she hastily nodded her head with an unsettled visage that revealed her unstableness.

"Looks like you've seen a ghost," remarked Tsunade with dark irony. Regaining her strength, Sakura cleared her throat and jumped to her feet, clinging on to the smallest balance her body allowed her to, "what are you doing here, shishou?"

"I was just about to close the hospital, heard you haven't left. Got worried, you know the usual motherly stuff. Just making sure the dead man leaves you be, seeing to it that you've grown into a fine young lady"

"Tsunade-shishou!" shrieked Sakura, utterly flushed with what the Hokage could come across with

"Just kidding," giggled Tsunade before taking in a deep sigh, her eyes then reluctantly focused to her comrade's corpse, "ya done with him?"

"A-almost" stuttered Sakura, wondering if she ever managed to complete her task, walking over to the occupied bed, Sakura couldn't help but ask, "how's Naruto?"

"Fine, the eager beaver was up for another mission," snorted Tsunade, well, the truth ran little along the lines, so technically she wasn't lying.

"With who?" asked Sakura, reaching out for the switch to turn the lights red

"S-ranked, Sakura, all forms of information lies classified from there on" reasoned Tsunade, stuffing her hands in her pockets to hide her fidgeting from her keen student.

The girl just nodded, fully focused on exterminating Jiraiya's knowledge and experience, "well then," began Tsunade, "I guess you'll be the one closing the hospital, I still have a stack of papers they call work waiting for me in my office. Lights out by three, ya heard?"

Even if her mistress had ended her sentence with a close on the door, her student still responded as if she was still there. Little the two know, they harbored secrets far too great to conceal from the other. Eventually, there will be a moment of revelation in the future that revolved a certain blonde male. Once again, Fate had entangled each of its pawn into the other's path, and yet it scorned for the Frog Sage who had forewarned the boy of his future. Unless, the riddle remained unseen, nothing else would seem to change the path that Fate continues to pave for Naruto.

All the mortal pieces had been set on the board for Fate to begin its interesting game, branching out alternatives in case one of them tries to modify their destined life. This is where the challenge begins, letting the night take over for the day had past.

_**To be continued...**_


	3. Got Naruto Acting Heroic

_**Disclaimer**_: I Do Not Own Naruto

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**Start**

Leaves had danced before the evening breeze; trees chanted their nightly prayers and the clouds drifts over the hidden village of the leaves, where genjutsu-laden walls had prevented the artificial lights to glow throughout the pitch darkness throughout the dense forest. Amongst countless homes, there was one that was about to be left unoccupied for the following days or possibly months to come.

Stepping out of the shower, Naruto had thrown in a sleeveless shirt and baggy pants over his boxers, all in which were bathed in the same hue of pitch black. Spreading his jacket flat out on the parquet flooring, he began sealing his necessities away in small tags fresh with inked seals before tucking them in secret and/or convenient areas. After that was done, he strapped on his shuriken holster on his upper right thigh and wore his orange and black jacket, unconsciously adjusting his forehead protector after locking his apartment door.

The cool breeze bathed him with comfort as the stolid moon watched from the sedative presence of its fluffly blankets; stars would then wink at him at random patterns wordlessly wishing him their luck.

_This is it_, thought Naruto with a hand pressing unto a sealed tag in his left pocket, aware of the importance that it held. He trudged on the path that led to the massive gates of Konoha, effortlessly walking on without looking back; he was, afterall, going to return someday, this was, afterall, an important and a reasonably long mission and was very much aware that he didn't have the luxury to mourn for his father-figure sensei.

Tears, as he believed, are not productive and would emotionally leech out his whole being as a normal person. He was also glad that he avoided almost everyone he knew in the village, because if he did, they would always try their best to comfort him as he would if they were in the same position. But seeing the conditions, allowing himself to search for a shoulder to cry on was more than shameful for a man, it was useless and it killed all the precious time he needed to carry out what his father had in store for him.

His black sandals lightly stepped over the dirtpath, realizing that he had already walked beyond the gates and was now approaching the massive fort of greenery that beheld the beginning of his journey. The heavens let out a heavy sigh and the trees shuffled for a moment, branches swaying as if they waved their silent farewells to the blonde boy.

He smiled to himself, finding it ridiculous that an urge to wave back at them had risen to his thoughts. Naruto was a man on a mission to destroy Akatsuki, avenge his mentor, setting the peace to reign over the world, and decipher the secrets his father harbored.

Though there were sayings that dead men tell no tales, dead men do leave clues and riddles, scattering the pieces of their puzzle to the world. Summoning the item he stored in his left pocket, he drew out a four-inched scroll and unraveled its parchment. Using the moon as a raw source of light, he angled its inked surface and began scrutinizing its contents.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he squinted his eyes or screwed his eyes narrow enough to adjust them, or even channel chakra to enhance his vision; he couldn't make most of the miniscule writing, figuring that they were of archaic writing. Resuming his pace, which was unconsciously disturbed by the scroll, Naruto eyed the writing and the characters written in, noting that some resembled a drawing of a thin house with a tall and pointed roof with two horizontal lines connecting the parallel ones.

_**Watching you is simply amusing, kit**_

Naruto smirked, familiar with the unwanted voice that resonated in his head before responding, '_I'm in no mood for your wise-cracks tonight fox_'

_**Okay, well, I was in no mood of your futile wandering either, seeing to it that you are wasting precious time venturing to a destined area that doesn't even exist in your range of knowledge**_

'_Wuddya mean?_' asked Naruto, deciding to take it to the trees, kicking from the grassy ground to leaping from a branch to the next

_**Obviously, you have no itinerary for that matter, you don't know where to go and what to do, kit**_

Immediately halting on the branch he landed on, he crouched and leaned against the tree's coarse surface, '_So tell me, what should I do?_'

_**Stick to the plan**_

'_Kill Akatsuki?_'

_**Well if you want an alternative for suicide, why not? Listen, don't tell me that you listened to Tsunade and understood her. There is a motive for you screaming for you to take action along the lines**_

Naruto's brooding silence caught the Kyuubi impatient

_**Not the brightest one in the bunch, eh? Look, to get to wherever you need to go next, you have to decipher the scroll, but you can't since it's too old with a dialect that had long been forgotten, you're main objective here is to find someone who can fix that for you--**_

_'Oh yeah! This is the part where you help me, right?'_

_**Sure, if you can bring that thing in your head, why not?**_

_I can do that?_

_**Go ahead and try**_

And so Naruto did, only to find himself staring at the scroll before grimacing as he brought it to his mouth, an action interrupted by the Kyuubi's fierce chortling.

_What?!_

_**I take it you don't know what sarcasm is**_

Unusually annoyed than the norm, Naruto furiously stuffed the scroll back in his pocket and mentally ironed the Kyuubi flat on the ground with a massive hunk of metal that his imaginative brain managed to conjure. But it wasn't enough to hush the wild beast within him.

The moment he rose back on his feet, his whole body froze as a prickly feeling layered his back. Managing to whip out a kunai and toss it at breakneck speed to his target, it darted past a thick shrub several feet below the tree he stood on. He waited for a response before calming down with a staggering sigh

"Go home, Sakura"

Impressed, Sakura dispelled the meticulous genjutsu she used to carefully mask her presence. Emerging from its thick leaves, Sakura leaped on a tree that covered reasonable distance between her and the blonde.

The tension arose as silence shrugged past them with a heaving sigh, both of their deep gazes locking unto the other as both waged a silent war of dominance. Naruto awed at her outlook, her delicate figure stood with supremacy and seemed to challenge his authority over his own self-will. Her pure aura glowed from her complexion as the moonlight basked her with undiminishing radiance, effortlessly bending his will to her.

Her pink locks--now dyed with the shades of purple of the night--framing her face, swayed with the evening's gentle whispers, along with her apparels that stuck to her skin, etching her deep curves. But it was her poignant jade eyes that held a mysterious effect on him, and it grasped his heart like an eagle's talon, ready to rip it off his chest if he dared to defy her demands.

Naruto was helpless before her presence, but never allowed himself to let his budding weakness to penetrate the steely outlook he portrayed before her. And that was what pained him all the more, he didn't want to be another Sasuke, another man that would shatter her whole being, another man that embedded a deep gash on her fragile heart. But this was an obligation that was assigned to him by Fate, and oh did he hate its ingenious ways of sadism.

"What are you doing Naruto?" she asked with pain-drenched voice, "where are you going? Why?"

Questions, questions and more questions, many of which he wondered himself. But there were some answers he faintly knew and knew that they are not fitting for her ears to behold, for it will cause her pain and pain again since the truth was never a pleasant seranade to innocent witnesses of the mortal world.

"Sakura," he began, finding it more difficult to utter her sacred name through his unholy lips, fearing that he would not find words to pacify her curiousity and heart. Lifting the corners of his mouth into a small smile, hope glimmered in his eyes and did his best to deliver the message to her, "I'll be back soon"

"You didn't answer any of my questions!" harped the kunoichi, interrupting his hasty departure with success

With a heavy heart, his contained tears slowly began to reach its brim, knowing that it was best to never look back, Naruto kept his back to her, and his head only slightly angled for her to see the tip of his nose, a cheek and his ear, "When the time comes, Sakura, you'll know"

Without further ado, and the desperation for an easy and clean departure, he disappeared in a blur, not wanting to hear another word from this woman he held too close to his heart. A knife had been driven through it at the sound of her ear-splitting wail of grief, and if he hadn't let his mind take over his tired body, he might have gone back and allow her to recite her promises, deeds and whatnots.

She mustn't come with him, if he wanted her alive. He sensed death written in his near future and didn't want her name to be stained by its limited time. So, like a brave warrior that he really is, he trudged forth with intensified speed, letting it be the sole reason as to why his eyes were watering its corners.

_**Okay, kit. Back on the road, where do we head out? I don't know!**_

_WILL YOU JUST SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP?!_

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Sakura curled like a ball, her back pressing lightly on the tree's bark as her feet found balance on its branch. She pressed her moistened lips against her knees hoping that it would hush her as tears channelled down her cheeks.

The gentle evening would comfort her with its cooling breeze every now and then, but it wasn't always enough to her, for it was his warm flesh that she was unconsciously in need of. To think that her efforts of preparing for a departure with him might be hindered by Naruto's heroic methods of self-sacrifice was unforgivable to her.

She was armed and ready for something like this to happen. She even hurried it up with her last task and ended at midnight just to roughly pack her pouch with her necessities. She even searched for him throughout the village to offer him her assistance and found it too late when she headed for his apartment.

Wiping the tears off her reddened face, she straightened her back with a more determined visage and a wicked smile, "So, Naruto thinks he can brush me off like that? Heck, he should have at least knocked me out"

Shoving the thought of rejection from her mind, she set out on his fresh chakra trail, grateful that she was a well-trained medic-nin. Nothing could stop her now, she knew he was going to need her in this, Jiraiya had even said so himself, believing that her problem solving skills and determination was more than enough to grant success to Naruto's crusade.

Yes, a crusade, for she had the faintest idea of what the hidden plans were, plans that she managed to figure out as Jiraiya had run through the lines that Naruto was to hear. Aware that if she caught on to Naruto again, he will use harsher methods to send her back if not through gallant speeches, so she will just spy on him. After all, there were much more ways of concealing her presence, Jiraiya would never leave this girl unarmed. And that would mean having taught her one of his stealth jutsus while in the dead man's mind.

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Finally exhausted from an all out sprint, Naruto plopped lazily on a soft grass bed, cursing himself for forgetting to bring his sleeping bag, when in fact, he did seal it away and simply forgot about it, and if he ever did remember, he would spend the whole night sealing and unsealing tags within his jacket.

With fatigue devouring his sore muscles, he just let Kyuubi work its magic as he allows himself to gaze at the stars, where they manage to lift his mind off his body and linger in thoughts that can prove useful to him in the next following days.

_**Kit, I was thinking--**_

_No_

_**You didn't even hear with what I have to sa--**_

_No_

_**Geez will you just listen?**_

_Why?_

_**Because I might actually be of help**_

_What do you want?_

_**Freedom--**_

_So, no._

_**Freedom from your mortal body so I can actually live without inhibitions, jackass. I'd rather rot in the Pandemonium than die with you.**_

Naruto scoffed, _Good night, fox_

_**You are very thick skulled, you know that? I simply tell you what I want in return and you immediately refuse my offer to help**_

_You're going down with me fox, whether you like it or not_

_**Okay, so we got that straight, now will you just listen? I might actually have a shot at helping you, you see, where else are ancient dialects practised? Who practices them and why?**_

_You tell me, fox_

_**Seal Masters, to seal the inhuman for the safety of humanity, right?**_

_And?_

_**You have to find another Seal Master**_

_Where can we find one?_

_**And that's where I'll leave you be, g'night, kit**_

Naruto simply groaned, to have an annoying demon to toy with his mind and leave him in vulnerability was simply driving him insane. Reminding him once more with why he prefered to avoid conversing with the beast.

He rolled over to his stomach and rested his cheek on his flat forearm, his right index brushing lightly over the sandy texture of the clearing, pondering on what he had to do next. Was he on a journey to search for another _rare_ Seal Master? He was afterall, trained by one, a son of one, so why couldn't he be one?

The disturbing chortle echoed in his mind, destroying the mental piece he had, thanks to the Kyuubi who laughed at his idea. Concentrating his chakra on his seal to strengthen it, nullified the noise that bothered him and found silence that coaxed him into a deep slumber. Time was indeed precious and he knew he had to act fast, think fast and... just beat time to it.

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"Hello brat," beamed a familiar face

"J-Jiraiya?!" gasped Naruto scrambling to his feet, bliss devouring his whole nature as an ecstatic grin gradually caused his face to ache, his eyes glimmered with joy and his body was rattling with excitement

"I can see you're happy with just seeing me," Jiraiya grinned, planting his hands in his hips before squatting close to the ground. Naruto didn't care and was plastered with a simpering grin as he dipped his head low to watch his sensei

"Heck yeah, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Well listen up, I want you to visit a friend in the Earth Country, he's a very wise man and a good drinking buddy of mine. I think he can enlighten you with some of his knowledge, but will only do so if you give him what he wants-- boy, don't give me that look, it's not like that! Geez... anyway, since he loves riddles, he'll just be hinting you in and once you solve it and things goes your way, everything else will just fall out as easy as that, 'kay?"

Naruto nodded like a giddy toddler, "I really missed you ero sannin, and it's great to see you again"

Jiraiya's childish grin softened to a more sombre one, sadness tinting his eyes as he spoke, "me too, kid, sorry 'bout that thing back then, but I guess things happens for a reason right?"

Naruto just smiled back, matching his mentor's sadness with his, finally the larger man rose to his feet with an easy sigh, "gotta get going then, I'll be seeing you around"

Naruto blinked and tried to hesitate; his feet picked up the pace and began to run after him as he dispersed into the greenery of the woods...

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Naruto slightly spasmed as he felt his weight drop recklessly on his flesh, he tore his face away from the grassy bed that slightly suffocated him and fisted in the blades as he reached far out for a bone cracking stretch and a jaw-breaking yawn, unconsciously resembling a cat in the process of doing so.

He plopped back on the hard, dirty ground before pushing himself up to sit with a slouched back. Observing his surrounding, he noticed the bronze rays that peered through the miniscule gaps the dense leaves on trees generously gave. Sctaching his abdomen as he rose, he ran a few more stretches before heading northeast from his position, finally having an idea on where he should head out next.

Seeing to it that he didn't really set out camp and just plopped on a grass clearing, he left as easily as he arrived. Greeted by the daily trills of avian creatures was music to Naruto's ears, lifting him to high spirits as a newfound hope dawned into him. He sprinted through the forest with rapid speed, until he reached a vast grassy plain that held no tall trees with a few grassy braes scattered from here to there.

Naruto plopped back to his rear and took in the new scent in the air that challenged the freshness in Konoha. The sun had caught up to him, signifying how much time he spent. Much to his pleasure, he hadn't wasted too much of it. Grass blades were taller, the sky seemed bluer and ample amount of clouds drifted by, generously shading him from the intense heat the sun emitted, joined by the cool breeze that blew in every now and then.

The place was perfect for picnic; it held a tranquilizing presence that lulled Naruto into laziness. Summoning out a readied cup of steaming ramen with convenient disposable chopsticks, he began his lunch or brunch or whatever meal he was supposed to have now. He grinned to himself, admiring the expediency of sealing tags, for items sealed away are frozen in time with perfect condition, as he was expalined to.

Slurping down his first mouthful, he wiped the soup from the corners of his mouth with his jacket's sleeve and pondered if he should rest in a nearby village. He shook that thought out of his head; he could save money if he just stayed out, and he wasn't too excessive when it came to his stock, as far as he was concerned, his stock was still full and didn't need to be reloaded.

The thought of continuing his journey had been decided as soon as he finished his meal, resealing his trash away in another tag he journeyed on. Finding it ridiculous that he managed to cover enough ground throughout his travel, he had no other choice but to appreciate the Kyuubi's help with making that all possible for him. It was the Kyuubi's doing that allowed him to pick up unrelenting, ballistic speed, and at that rate, he could reach the Earth Country's border after a night's rest.

The journey through Grass Country's area seemed unnaturally too peaceful. Aware that Grass nins also resides in respectable communities, they might as well just be as worse as Stone nins. As if on cue, Naruto felt a sting on his right ankle and mildly winced in pain; an ambush was at hand.

Instead of cursing at himself for allowing vulnerability to dawn into him, he decided to put up a fight. Withdrawing a kunai from his shuriken holster, he parried blows with a grass nin that reappeared in front of him. After catching an opening and driving his kunai through the enemy's stomach, he sent the incompetent soul to the ground.

Naruto spun in with a flurry of kicks and punches the moment he sensed the presence of an approaching enemy. All of them wore their ANBU masks, as he noticed and feared that he might not be able to stand a chance against the whole platoon, two more are bound to come after him, either one by one or all together.

Bending far back like a sturdy, yet flexible bamboo reed, Naruto planted his palms on the grassy ground and pulled his knees forth, delivering an uppercut through his instep. Quickly sensing more of them to arrive, he twisted his weight and smoothly spun his body with legs outstretched, rapidly kicking the other two ANBUs away from him. Regaining his defensive stand, the three other foreign ANBUs had risen to their feet and began circling around him.

"What the hell do you want from me?" growled Naruto, clenching his fist, fearing that the sting on his ankle was a powerful sedative; it began numbing his whole left leg.

"Hell, like I'd know," snorted a female voice behind the mask of a swan, "I'm just running through some orders for my honey"

"Honey...?" repeated Naruto, sensing the loss of the relevance

"You're the Uzumaki brat, yeah?" asked a male behind the mask of some folklore beast

"Hey, Juugo, I really don't see the importance of wearing these stupid masks" spoke swan

"Shut it, Karin, they were supposed to hide our identites" responded shark

Naruto blinked, finally seeing to it that none were actually of the ANBU members, but it intruiged him with their reason of wearing the Grass symbol on their forehead protectors.

"You guys just blew your covers," sighed beast, "might as well just give them up"

All of them brought their hands closer to their faces, unmasking their features before Naruto. His eyes slightly widened at the realization of their identities, believing that their names had rung a bell in his head, the indication of familiarity did prove its worth, for the faces before him triggered memories of a recent past.

"You guys..." muttered Naruto with a hint of confusion, "what do you want from me"

The only female of the three gave him an alluring smirk and strode her way towards him. Naruto made an effort to raise his guard but failed miserably when his whole left body resisted his command, he was paralyzed.

"No use fighting it, cutie" smiled the girl named Karin, she leaned in close and attempted to speak, until interruption from the shark wielder came at hand

"Geez, Karin, I thought you had the hots for Sasuke. Are you just gonna flirt with every guy you see?"

"Shut the _fuck up_ Suigetsu!" barked Karin, throwing her kunai to his chest. Naruto watched through furrowed brows as Suigetsu pulled the kunai off his chest as it fluidly repaired itself, leaving smooth skin on its wake.

"Now," mewled Karin, removing her glasses with one hand, she resumed leaning closer to Naruto and smirked at him, "we need to talk"

_**To Be Continued...**_


	4. Reveals Naruto's Knight In Glossy Pink

_**Disclaimer**_: I Do Not Own Naruto

**Okidoki... I'd just like to clear things up. Naruto is supposed to go to **_**Iwa**_**gakure not **_**Otogakure**_**, since Iwa means stone and Oto means sound. That's all!**

**And oh yeah, I know that the updates are quite quick, but I'm just taking advantage of my free time before it comes right down to the long updates again... that's all.**

**And so, thank you dear readers and reviewers! Please read on n.n**

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**Start**

_"Make sure Naruto gets to Iwagakure for his first stop, I managed to get a glimpse of his future in the book of Fate, and I'm telling you it was a close call, who knew it was Kami behind the pen? Anyways, I managed to take a peek of his first phase of the journey; he must get to Iwagakure no matter what the situation may be, Sakura"_

Shot back to the world, Sakura stretched, yawned and then paused. Absent-mindedly scratching her head, her drowsiness began to fade. Having Jiraiya's words stuck to her head from the conversion she had with his soul, fully stripped any hint of lethargy and immediately remembered where she was and what her purpose was.

Pulling away from the tree she merged her presence with, she activated the jutsu that allowed her move with utmost stealth and widened her eyes at the unbelievable realization that claimed the harsh honesty of Naruto's early rise, for he was no longer slumbering on the pile of grass in the middle of the grass clearing.

She wondered if he had sensed her and decided to move out quickly, and immediately breathed out a line of curses. Sunlight had found their way through the dense foliage of the forest's ceiling as it rained with bright morning light, the early morning birds had ended their daily orchestra and that was enough to tell Sakura that she had risen far too late.

Desperately tracking down Naruto's chakra seemed almost impossible, now that possible hours have past. Unless she was very sensitive to chakra, she can instantly track him down. But for now, she'd have to head towards Iwagakure, where she hoped to find Naruto later on.

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"We need to talk," spoke Karin, an explanation of what happened with them not too long ago, and how Sasuke hadn't returned to them yet, now that his brother was dead, worried them all and feared his abandonment, though she added that their team was made for Sasuke to plough his way to his goals in the sidelines.

Basically, Karin had done all the talking, and Naruto was now waiting for the bottom line of all this. The sedative had taken its toll on his mortal body as stood there like a statue, aching his muscles despite the fact that he wasn't supposed to feel a thing.

"... and now it comes down to this," sighed Karin, wearing her glasses, "we need your help"

An arched brow was Naruto's simple response

"We still don't know where he went, and..." the sentence had died down to mere whispers in Karin's mouth, "anyways, what do you say?"

Naruto smirked out his scoff, alarming Karin of an answer she feared he would say, and that would be the inevitable, "no"

"Why not? He's your long lost comrade that you've been searching for in years, isn't he?" whined Karin, before clearing her throat to salvage with what's left of her integrity.

"Why are you wasting your time looking for him? Obviously, he left you since he has no use for any of you anymore, that is the sad fact, Karin" explained Naruto, "all that Sasuke does is use people,"

_"What did Sakura tell you?"_

"Betray them,"

_"I'm gonna break those bonds, Naruto"_

"Hurt them,"

_"You, my equal? What made you think that?"_

"Squeeze the humanity out of them and in the end, he won't care, he won't be bothered" With a heavy sigh, he turned his eye to the unfathomable Karin, "so what made you think he'd wait for you or come back for you. To him, you're just another tool to get by"

"You ass" growled Karin, "Sasuke-kun is _not_ heartless as you claim him to be! I know he'll be back for us--"

"Why?" interrupted Naruto, "he got his revenge, what more would he need out of you? You're just wasting your time, like I did when I was still searching for him, like what everyone did when they were searching for him. Move on, Karin, like what I'm doing now"

He watched Karin's eyes glimmer in sadness, tears accumulating on the corners of her eyes. He received an unwanted response, a slap across the cheek. But it didn't hurt him, he was given an anaesthetic to temporarily paralyze him.

"Asking for your help is a waste of time" muttered Karin with her wild hair masking her face, "so I'm just gonna kill you"

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Chewing a soldier pill to invigorate her speed, she managed to cover enough ground to reach past the border of Fire Country, and that would have been a thousand miles covered. Impossible, yes, but to a ninja fueled by a soldier pill with perfect chakra control? Possible.

Just like light had sliced through an unnerving darkness, she sensed Naruto's presence within the area and slowed down... like an arrow through her chest, she also sensed the presence of three more people. And from the looks of it, danger loomed in the atmosphere.

The moment the four were within her range of sight, she saw a female draw out her kunoichi and Naruto just standing still, as if allowing her to end his life. Further propelling two thirds of her chakra she charged manically towards her with a chakra pumped fist.

With only a millisecond to spare, Karin was given the time to catch a glimpse of her pinkette attacker before she was driven to the ground with a painful landing, scraping the earth as she went several feet away from her and Naruto.

"Sakura?" breathed Naruto, mixed emotions of shame, surprise and confusion settled within him

"What are you doing just standing there? Move!" she told him with a cheeky grin

"You bitch! What the hell do you think you're doing?" spoke Suigetsu, planting his hand on the hilt of a familiar large sword.

Sakura huffed with a smile, "letting you off with a warning"

"What do you think we are?" bellowed Karin, struggling to stand upright with a bloodied nose, "you ugly monster of a bitch, I'm gonna kill for what you did to my nose!"

The sound of leather stretching alarmed Naruto, this was the warning Sakura always made when her killing intent was on the verge of breaking loose. With Sakura's back facing Naruto, he really couldn't see much of her and wondered what made Karin slightly shudder on the spot, but he was somewhat aware that a taboo had been set loose indeed.

"G-Go get her Juugo" squeaked Karin at the sight of her once human comrade.

Sakura had to take a look at who she was speaking to and noticed the way one of her comrade's gradually changing feature. Exotic markings devoured his skin, and the tint in his eyes had changed to a bronze hue, baring his teeth with elongated canines. Sakura's smirk didn't die down, but inwardly she cowered, watching the monster rattle with anticipation triggered her pulse to run a marathon.

"Oh you're dead now bitch, you really are dead" snickered Suigetsu, slightly tilting his head to the right and back up again, he said, "go get her"

Like a rabid animal on the loose, Juugo raced to her with animalistic instincts. Aware that Naruto had been paralyzed on the spot, Sakura saw to it that she needed to fight this monster without hurting Naruto.

Channeling chakra to her palm, she drove it to his open chest just as he was in the process of pouncing on her, driving him far back in succession. Quickly, Sakura turned back to Naruto and yanked out the senbon she found stuck on his ankle and held the bloodied tip with two fingers before planting her palm in the ground to deliver a single-footed donkey kick to her charging opponent.

Juugo easily stood back on his feet and began to chuckle in an eerie way. She didn't reveal her astonishment, for that blow she gave him, he should be suffering from broken ribs that are puncturing his lungs by now.

"You're taking too long Juugo, I think I should end this match now" grinned Suigetsu removing his massive sword from his back and lowered it to his front, grabbing the hilt with both hands and slightly bending both knees, he was also ready to kill.

Deciding that she didn't need another addition to this fight, she delivered a chakra filled fist to her hand as she drove it down his skull just as he was landing right before her with his sword drawn up high. The decapitated body collapsed before her with a liquid goo surrounding with where his head should have been. She merely sniffed in contentment before charging towards Juugo, only to hear the sound of shuffling behind her.

"You think I'd die that easily?" spoke her supposedly dead enemy

She sighed, it was another one of those ninjas that comes back to life after a square hit. And it agitated her, it wasn't long before she was engaged in swift movements, dodging swinging blades and sharpened claws and ballistic kicks and flurries of punches, only to deliver her hard punches, aimed to the skull whenever the two paused for a split second.

She managed to hit Juugo square in the jaw before he was driven a good mile back, rotating in the air before harshly making his brutal landing. Sparing no time to marvel at her success, she dove right back in and focused now on Suigetsu.

It infuriated her that each clean punch he received to vital areas, be it his groin, he will always fluidly regenerate and then they'd be back to more wind slashing. To further add to Sakura's problem, Karin had stepped into the arena with fresh new punches and kicks that equalled Sakura's madness.

Everything was moving swiftly and the battle had been going on for the past twenty minutes, neither three showing signs of exhaustion before locking fists once more. Time seemed to have slowed its pace as she caught Suigetsu's blade with two flat palms on the flat side and swung him with it towards Karin.

Life seemed to have hated Sakura at that moment when Juugo finally rose from his landing and charged hysterically towards her along with an enraged Karin and a restless Suigetsu. Everthing began to move in a blur as Sakura danced away from three incoming blows, finding no time to plant one of her own now that they circled her in.

Driving her fist down hard on the ground caused a fissure, Suigetsu had fallen in but Karin, and Juugo managed to leap away. With this successfully buying her time, she was well aware that a fight of three to one didn't seem to go in her favor, she rushed towards Naruto to inject a regenerative chakra flow to snap him out of his paralysis to help her out.

Naruto forgot to breathe as the fight carried on before him, just as she cracked the soil open she darted back to him and slapped her palm on his chest, feeling her warmth seep to his arteries and eliminated the paralyzing effect the senbon had on him. But it was only just then, her face contorted to shock and a blot of a darkened stain gradually grew in the center of her chest, whimpering when a bloodied blade had poked through her apparel.

Naruto's eyes widened, for the thing he feared most finally came at hand. She limped and fell to his chest, revealing the sickening grin of Suigetsu. He yanked his sword out of her slowly as he heard her breath stagger to the pain. Naruto had to wait for Sakura's chakra to fully exterminate the remaining bits of paralysis set on him, and when it did, he called forth Kyuubi's chakra to help him carry out his task.

With a deadly snarl set on his fox-defined features, he growled, "you're dead now"

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It upset Naruto that he didn't manage to kill him and that they managed to escape, the wrath of his fury must be justified, he needed blood in turn for Sakura's losing one. As that thought struck him, he immediately turned back and found her unconscious in a growing pool of blood that the grass greedily devoured.

He grunted in restrained fury before withdrawing a clean tag, an ink jar, and his writing brush. He placed it on his hand and transferred his chakra as he wrote "_suppress_" in kanji. It hissed when the ink seeped it and bit its corner to use his free hands to... remove her shirt.

Naruto blinked at the sudden realization. Of course he couldn't do that, she would pummel him to the ground if she figured that out. But hell, he needed to do that if she wanted her to still live. His face had been growing redder by the minute as her blood continued to spill, and it was a large gash in the middle of her chest and her blood had been going despite the fact that she had been constantly healing herself while he battled out with Sasuke's recently formed team.

She only managed to heal the front of her chest anyway, so there wasn't much to be worried about. He began zipping the red apparely down, stopping when her medic apron interfered. He unbuckled it and moved swiftly to lay her front on his lap before sliding her clothing off her. Ignoring her chest pressing against his lap was harder than he thought and blushed furiously at that thought.

Quickly placing the tag on her back, he watched the blood seep to it as the ink glowed for a second. The purpose of the tag was to just keep the bleeding in bay, long enough until he sought proper medical attention; it was just good enough for one day and now knew the importance of heading for the nearest village.

Hastily dressing her up once more, made him drop her to the ground, back first. He winced at his clumsiness and sympathetically felt the pain on her back, but scorched his face red when he caught a glimpse of her pink lacy bra that hugged her bosom graciously. She lay exposed under the afternoon sun and her smooth skin radiated a captivating glow that made him want to just touch her.

His breathing hitched and forced himself to zip her shirt up, and when that was all over, he finally noticed how tight his pants had gotten.

"Oh fuck it all," hissed Naruto, channeling his chakra to his shaft, and letting it encircle him at a rapid pace. He slumped back, and broke in a sweat as he quickened the velocity to relieve himself sooner. Time was of the essence right now, and despised his need of needing release before anything else. Quickly pulling the hem of his pants down and letting his buddy poke through his boxers, he groaned at the sight of how his chakra concentrated deeply on his weak areas. Tilting his head back and jerking his hips forth, he released.

Now that that was over, he fixed himself up and gingerly slung Sakura over his shoulders before heading out.

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The first thing Sakura noticed was how warm and comfortable she felt beneath a blanket. The second was the serenity that enveloped her. And the last would be the feel of her skin against the blanket's silky sheets.

Her eyes snapped open and acknowledged the fact that a wooden ceiling hovered above her. A window on her right had curtains dancing to the wind that entered; the wall seemed to be made of concrete and was left to be seen bare. The room seemed fairly small, but that was besides the point. She lifted her blanket and saw herself in her underwear with bandages on her chest, designed like an _X_ with two horizontal bindings above and below her breasts, as if it was intended to leave it unclothed.

A red hue flamed her cheeks, when Naruto stepped in after knocking the door three times. She hugged the blanket against her chest and lowered her head. Well, at least now, she caught up with him and found him safe. After all, it wasn't her first time she'd been stabbed by a sword in vital areas.

"How are you feeling?" his voice seemed as ungrateful as his facade

"Fine" she mumbled, hanging her head low as the hem of her blanket was fisted to her chin.

He sighed, closing the door behind him before approaching her. He sat on a stool next to the door and crossed his arms, "why did you follow me?"

"Well obviously, you can handle things yourself" said Sakura with a hint of sarcasm, her immature statement didn't cause Naruto to change his penetrating gaze. He was clearly holding back anger and the need to yell.

"Speak for yourself, I'm not the one in bandages" came his simple response

"Only because I came in time to save you," reasoned Sakura, "and besides," she sniffed, turning her head away, failing to keep an intense eye contact with him, "you didn't answer my questions, yet"

"Sakura," he breathed, roughly rubbing his face with both hands before slapping his palms on his lap, "This _isn't_ a _game_. This is serious--"

"This? Isn't it natural to get hurt? We're ninjas after all, we're supposed to get hurt in one mission or another" said Sakura, pointing to her chest through the blanket

He glared at her, "When you get better just go back to Konoha." With that, he rose and left the room once more

"Where are you going?" called Sakura, but a door slammed shut was her response.

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At least he was now in Iwagakure, unlike Konoha, the village seemed duller, and everything was almost in shades of grey. A day had passed since he arrived here, mostly tending to Sakura's wounds, improving his basic medic skills and his self control in the most impossible of situations.

He already fetched her breakfast from some sushi bar and had to admit, it was delicious for a reasonable cost. He also commissioned for another of her clothes and expected it to be done by, at least, tomorrow or so, granting her the decency to walk around with something covering her up. Now that he had taken enough care of her, he needed to get back on track, to say the least.

Keeping in mind that the man he was supposed to be searching for would be wise and a drinker, he headed for the drinking district, finding it quite convenient that it was rather late at night after running some errands for a certain kunoichi. The area he was searching for wasn't at all difficult to find, seeing to it that it was the rowdiest place with sober men filing towards the same direction and drunken retards waddling out with a bottle in hand or a bruise in the eye.

Naruto, though sixteen, was very well aware that he hadn't reached drinking age yet, and haven't had his first drink even if he did hung out with a teacher that was usually found on a binge. Heading in without a drink would seem rather awkward, and resorted to shadow clones and some henge to do his work, while he headed back to the inn, wondering if it was a good idea at all.

Even if Konoha's bar district went into mayhem, they always managed to restore order and carry out having fun knocking their socks off with unbelievable amounts of alcohol, somehow Iwagakure showed anything but. It was all out chaotic and as minuted crept closer to midnight, it just got louder and rougher. Naruto did his best to walk in the middle of the road as each tavern faced each other and was prone to having fighting men fist their way out of the buildings, sometimes jumping out of windows to land in a tangle of limbs, our out the door followed by bottles to crash next to them.

The sight brought trauma to Naruto and understood why Jiraiya insisted him to always stay away from the district whenever they stopped by for training. But those days were over and now he walked into the fray. His henge'd clones had smoothly entered in the taverns, at least one for each building as he instructed them all, before, as he planned, heading back to the inn. Hopefully by then, Sakura had left and was on her way home.

That thought stuck in his head the further he walked down his hall. Drowning his alert mind for the sake of calculative thoughts to kick in, seemed to have erased any memory he had on the journey back home, for what stood before him now, was the door to his room. Apparently, the unwanted presence of his extra luggage was still in there.

He twisted the knob of his door and poked his head in. In the corner of the dark room where the only single bed was, slept Sakura. He sighed and slid in through the small crack of the door, before quietly shutting it close. The moment he turned around, he nearly jumped back.

To have Sakura standing before him draped in blankets would be the last thing he'd have in mind, her demeanor was quite groggy and naturally walked up to him without any chakra concealing. His breath hitched, sweat broke out from his temples as they trickled down his chin, beholding the sight of Sakura like so while the moonlight basked her with radiance wasn't also much help.

It seemed as if his self-control was being tested yet again.

"Naruto" spoke Sakura with her normal voice

"What?" he half-heartedly answered, his back unconsciously pressed flat on the door

"Where's the toilet?" she asked

"It's in the closet over there," babbled Naruto as his left hand fumbled for the switch

"Haha. Very funny. Now tell me the truth," said Sakura, planting her free hand on her hip, subconsciously allowing the draping mass curve to her figure. Naruto nearly lost it all, his hand shaking as they inched further away from the body while they snaked against the wall to, yet again, fumble around for the light switch.

"It, it really is" said Naruto, voice dying to a faint whisper. When he managed to flick the switch, light illuminated in the room within a flash, allowing him to waltz to the said closet and pull it open. "See?"

Sakura arched her brow and marched towards him, nodding in belief to learn that the toilet was, indeed, in the closet. "Creative" she remarked

"Yeah, Jiraiya and I have been in this inn once" came Naruto's slip, not like it was a secret or anything

"Oh," responded Sakura, "okay," with that she walked in and Naruto closed the door behind her.

He stumbled back in bed, sighing deeply that it was finally over. He lifted his head up to see the unforgiving tent forming in his pants, the sound of the shower didn't bother him at all, he was just worried that she might be quick enough to catch him in action.

He dropped his head back down on the bed, and sighed heavily. He needs to find someone he doesn't know, he needs to convince Sakura to scurry back home, he needs to bring an end to this all, and yet it all seemed harder than it sound. He wondered how long he can keep this up, he wondered how long it would take him to accomplish what he needed to do. But with Sakura around, he had much more to worry about.

_**To Be Continued...**_


	5. And The Awkward Date

_**Disclaimer**_: **I Do Not Own Naruto (Effective until Story ends)**

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**Start**

_Their lips roughly ran over the other as their tongues searched for their way in, intentionally giving her a hard time. It was a messy process but he was just loving her efforts, to have her wanting him bad is a delicacy to him. He pressed her against her front door, lifting her higher when her legs wrapped around his waist; his right hand grabbed her thigh, inching in to closer to the skin of her inner thigh, she shivered to his touch. The other hand harshly pulled her in to a passionate kiss, fingers tangled in her pink locks while softly sliding his tongue against hers before deeply massaging it; she whimpered, he groaned..._

Naruto bolted upright, he hadn't moved the moment he lay in bed, the only difference from last night was the fact that it was morning. He sighed; then began easing up the kinks his position last night gave him. His dream was very much uncalled for, and then paused, wondering if any of those _did_ happen last night.

His face contorted, as he grew pensive, only to snap out of his stupor to realize that nothing of the like did happen, though he inwardly wished it so. Immediately remembering where he was, he looked to his right and found Sakura curled to a ball near to the headboard, hugging the blanket to herself. He slid out of bed and walked around the room, before plopping into the invisible circle his mind conjured.

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes; he began to calm himself down. Flashes of memories he did not experience ran through his mind, images flickering in and out of life. At least ten scenarios ran through his mind in the bar, half were images of being caught in a fight; others were landed upon in a roughhouse or were entangled by the chaos thus dispelling him, or better yet his clones. He winced in pain from the physical reminder, but clutched his head when a migraine settled in.

Three out of the ten had taken a dangerously long swig, resulting in his unexpected hangover. He sighed, opening his eyes. Now that was over with, he knew he hadn't found the man he was looking for. It wasn't that easy to find a wise man and a drinker, the two categories simply just clashed, for a wise man would forestall the sins of the mortal, and the drinker shall never embrace good wisdom in this town.

"Naruto?"

He blinked before turning to Sakura, who was still in bed; he remained silent, trying to send the message that he did not enjoy her company.

"D-do I have any clothes to..." she fumbled about, before whispering ever so softly, "to wear?"

Naruto did not spare her any sign of reaction. "I'll pick your clothes up after giving you your breakfast" deadpanned the male

After heading for the washroom for a quick freshening up, he left her once again in the room. Making a quick dash to a pastry shop, he purchased Hokkaido bread that was five inches in diameter from a small pastry next to the inn. He then re-entered the room, finding Sakura's supine form in bed beneath the blankets with a rather rigid body, and if he noticed, a rather flushed face. He simply tossed the bread on top of her before shutting the door closed, little did he know, Sakura had been doing certain ways to entertain herself while he was gone.

But that didn't matter since he hadn't noticed it. He focused more on stepping out of the warm inn and embraced the chilly morning air. The sun was still rising from the horizon, the roads were peaceful unlike last night, and appreciated the pleasant trills of migratory birds that flew close to the ground. As he strolled through the streets, he noticed that majorities of all shops were all closed.

By the time he reached the tailoring shop he visited yesterday, the same old man who wore his thin spectacles by the bridge of his parrot-shaped nose greeted him. The said man rose from his rickety desk adjacent to the entrance door, and pushed his spectacles high up for his slit-like eyes to familiarize Naruto

"Ah, young man! The order from yesterday was it?" he rasped, handling the measuring tape around his neck, a pencil nestled on the junction between his right ear and his head.

"Yes, ojii-san" bowed Naruto with respect, the old man chuckled weakly, face scrunching in lines of crevices

"Young man, please call me, Yoburo. Please give me a minute as I fetch your clothes"

"Oh, it's actually for a friend," explained Naruto as he watched Yoburo enter through a door, closing it for a moment. Naruto sighed before looking around. The shop was still the same; it had elegant wooden interior and racks of clothing lined against the walls. A window adjacent to the door, with where Yoburo's desk was, poured light into the room.

The moment Yoburo re-entered to the shop, he held a brown parcel tied with a stiff rope with reasonable size and handed it over to Naruto.

"Thank you, how much will that be?" asked Naruto, the man slightly chuckled and shook his head

"What does the generation call it these days? _It's on the home_?" quoted Yoburo

"Ano, Yoburo-sama, I think you mean, _It's on the house_" corrected Naruto

"That's right, that's right," grinned the man before sitting on his stool, clasping his age-old hands with elbows resting on the desk.

Naruto held on the parcel and stared at the man with guilty wide-eyes, "Oh no, I can't do that. Thank you though, but if there's anyway I can repay for your generosity, please do name it so that I may satisfy my conscience"

The man named Yoburo chuckled before a malicious glint glimmered in his glazed eyes, for a moment Naruto swallowed hard, not appreciating the look he had in his eyes. Yoburo began, "well, I haven't had a drink in a very long while, you see"

Naruto blinked, "oh, alright! Tonight then, for I have a—"

"Don't worry," grinned Yoburo, flashing white, healthy teeth, "no need to explain. As long as you keep your promise, I shall wait for you in here"

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"Here are your clothes," said Naruto, tossing the parcel on top of her as he entered the room. It was warm, thus deactivating his heating chakra that flowed through his body. He removed his jacket and sandals before wrinkling his nose.

"It smells quite musty in here," he remarked aloud, before heading for the window near the bed, unaware that Sakura had blushed furiously at the remark. The moment he had opened the window, a rush of cold air slithered in to the room. Sakura, who still lay in bed, clutched the blanket closer to her chest.

He drew back to his jacket and wore it once more. Little did he know that Sakura wished that he had not done so. Turning to the parcel on top of her, she sat upright and tore it open before marveling at the designs when she held it up.

Instead of the Chinese dress-like garment she usually wore, it was a rosy silken robe; the texture of a kimono that hung three inches down her rear. And had black spandex-like shorts that were just an inch away from her inner thighs.

"What is this? A playboy suit?" shrieked Sakura, flailing the apparel in front of her.

Naruto drew back from the window and turned to Sakura, ready to retort something but held his breath with a breathy gasp. His eyes nearly bulged out, and his face scorched red, a trail of blood running thinly from his nose.

"What?!" roared Sakura, before thinking of deciding to see what it was that shocked him. The cold air nudged her body, perking up the fleshy braes she possessed. She blinked and dared to look down. Realizing, that she was still unclothed she threw the blanket over her head. With his mouth open, the sound of a creaking door was emitted from his throat as he dragged his feet out of the room to grant Sakura the decency to clothe herself.

Closing the door shut, he leaned against the wooden mass, wiping away his forehead as he moistened profusely. He removed his jacket and pinched his shirt to lift and drop it in numerous accounts to fan himself from within. He noticed the way his shaft pulsed with each heartbeat, glancing down once; he glanced down again and stared at his pants. His buddy stood like a gentleman, forming a tent at the sight of two ladies, the thought was easily dismissed, but it was hard to calm this down.

Casting a genjutsu upon it, the support on his back vanished before he found himself lying rigidly on the ground. He blinked when he saw a pink surrounding, two porcelain pillars standing either side of his head to support a black... thing. Out of curiosity, he reached out for it... and felt it.

A sharp 'eep!' rang through his ears before the face of a flushed Sakura replaced whatever he saw earlier. Pointing an accusing finger at Naruto, she roared, "PERVERT!!" her face darkened before she began stomping at Naruto's face. Only then did the image register in his mind, since he was lying down and Sakura was standing up, the pink thing was the inner garment of her silken robe, the two porcelain pillars where her legs... then that meant that the black thing was her—_**THUD**__**! THUD! THUD! BANG! WHAM!BOOM!CRASH!!**_

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Sakura did not grant Naruto the decency to be healed, thus strolled around the awakened village with a blackened eye, a bleeding nose and a reddened bruise covering half his face. He had taken a serious beating from Sakura because of that, but how was he supposed to know? Things he had done today were simply done at the wrong place and the wrong time. And he hated it.

Sakura dragged him to a dim sushi bar with dark wooden furniture. The long table, shaped in a _U_ allowed tables and chairs to occupy the rest of the restaurant. Lanterns provided lighting for the place and fans with kanji lines the walls. She vigorously wolfed down a variety of sushis while Naruto ordered raw meat to cover his bruised face.

Wearing the most agitated visage he could muster, he accepted the comfort of his soothing tea. Next to him sat a noisy Sakura who dismissed her table manners for the day in exchange for stuffing her meal in her mouth like a chipmunk.

"Say Naruto," began Sakura, gulping down the mouthful she had with ease. Naruto didn't bother to question that, he didn't care how she did that, he wasn't surprised when he was hammered down by her fists and feet this morning, so why should he bother himself with asking such questions? As a matter of fact, he won't be talking to her today.

"I need a bra," she said shamelessly before drinking her tea. A pink hue tinted his cheeks, but had his cup to his face for her to notice. Naruto was found speechless at this, realizing that her old pair had been ruined by Suigetsu's sword, and didn't plan on buying such garment any time soon.

Sakura stopped her chewing and positioned herself to face Naruto, her right hand on her hip while her other held her chopsticks, pressing her plate down with the tip of the wooden utensils. Searching for a reaction in his face, rewarded Sakura with a blush, she sighed, "look, it's not like the first time you've seen my jugs, I'm just asking you to buy clothes for them"

Naruto sunk deeper to his seat, lifting his teacup higher, unaware that a few had spilt to his pants. He jumped away; howling in pain as it scalded his shaft before Sakura instinctively grabbed a handful of tissues and began dabbing it on his crotch. He yelped and backed away from Sakura just in time before his friend showed his gratitude.

"Don't do that!" warned Naruto with a whiny voice, luckily, they were the first customer in the bar.

Sakura quirked a brow, before crumpling the tissue and tossing it on her plate. She downed her tea and marched right out of the shop, grabbing Naruto by the collar of his jacket. The moment they exited the building, she threw him down to the paved ground and planted her high-heeled sandals on his chest, her hands pressed on her hips.

"Look, Naruto" she began with a dangerous voice, "if you're not gonna take me seriously—oh stop it! You know I don't mean that— Naruto?! Ugh!"

The pinketted stormed away, implanting indents on the road as she went on. Naruto scrambled to his feet before running after Sakura, grabbing her by the arm, he looked her straight in the eye. Sakura's heart constricted at the proximity of their faces and her breath hitched, realizing how warm the day had gotten, even if the air still was chilly.

"I don't and never meant to offend you, but if you keep on doing this... just don't okay? If you don't want to go back home and actually want to help me, then please just cooperate with me" breathed Naruto, his voice dying down to whispers, "please..."

Sakura's mouth opened and closed, ogling his lips as they moved. She melted with each words he breathed upon her face and managed to pull away from him, clearing her throat as she sent chakra to cool her face. "Sure Naruto, ahehehe... just, yeah, okay? Great! Now. Let's see... Oh yeah! On to the shop! The bra shop! Not like it's gonna bother me or anything coz you're... and I'm... well..." Sakura fell silent, "let's just go okay?"

Thus, she marched off. Naruto stood there for a few seconds before a smile crept to his face as he sighed; he ruffled his hair before she turned on her heel once more, yelling him to '_get over here!!_' with a '_yes, ma'am_' he walked alongside of her. After all, it wasn't so often he went on a date with Sakura.

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The shop they entered were adorned bras and panties that varied in designs, a few lingerie that made Naruto force himself to avert his gaze before forbidden thoughts ravaged his mind. He kept his gaze graciously low; slightly stunned by Sakura's size, which was a B to a C, he was also astonished by the daring selections she chose. She grabbed those lacy designs with an edge, and oh, what those thongs will _look_ on her! He was just glad that when she tried them in the fitting room, she didn't show them to him, asking for his opinion on how she looked in them.

Naruto bit into his knuckle to keep his whimper at bay. She, of course, will be wearing those beneath her clothing; he was given an idea of what they will be like on her and loathed the very idea of being granted such opportunity. He paid nearly a thousand ryu for her to be happy, and was rather pleased when she made a beeline for the clothes shop, purchasing a rather unique... shirt? It was black spandex to cover her chest and was mesh all the way to her stomach.

She waltzed into the fitting room and Naruto found a stool in front of it. He heavily settled there, clutching the paperbag that contained her undergarments, he sighed deeply, before he turned rigid. Sakura stepped out of the door, her silken robes untied, revealing the mesh shirt and super short shorts that now had mesh hugging her legs up to her mid-thighs.

Naruto immediately pulled the hem of his jacket down to cover up his excited shaft the moment he felt his self-created genjutsu break, painfully grinning at Sakura to just pay up already.

"But I don't have any money—"

"Here," grinned Naruto, tossing gama-chan to her, "use my money"

He used his time well to calm himself down while she was still at the counter, and thankfully, by the time she paid, he was as good as new. She hopped merrily out of the store and Naruto weeped for the lightness of his purse. It was already evening the moment they stepped out of the clothes store and the nearby drinking district began opening their shops.

"My, Naruto, it looks quite dangerous over there," said Sakura, pointing at the bars, the howls of laughter could clearly be heard from five miles of where they stood. Naruto, with his hands in his pockets, nodded. Muttering, "you have no idea"

"Have you been drinking in there?" asked she

"Yeah—No! No, I mean, no I haven't" blabbed Naruto, technically, it was his clones that went in and got drunk. He walked on, missing the fact that Sakura stayed put, eyeing the district with interest. The moment he realized and looked over his shoulder, he nearly had a heart attack as he saw her bravely march to the area. Staying in this village long enough, he knew that no women walked in those areas unless they were paid to please.

"Sa-Sakura! NO!!" warned Naruto running after her, he caught her by her arm, shopping bags in the other.

"What's wrong with you?" grinned Sakura, her attention still focused in the merriment going on

"I don't think it's safe—" then he remembered the deal he had with Yoburo, Sakura's tailor, "wait. Okay, maybe we can have a drink, but with a friend"

He summoned forth his clone before they entered in the safest bars Naruto could find. He unconsciously held Sakura close to him as he warily eyed the whole tavern, trying to ward off drunken men with a reinforced intent to kill. Spotting a plausibly safe corner with leather-built seats, he ushered Sakura on to scoot to the safest spot.

Telling her to not talk to strangers, he walked up to the bar and ordered a bottle of sake. The man was tall and sturdy with a square face and a long healed gash running from his temple to his chin. Naruto blinked when he receive the alcoholic beverage without being asked for some permit or proof that he was of right age. He took it, still eyeing the man, as if waiting for the question to be asked.

The bartender slapped both palms on the desk before growling at Naruto, "looking fer truble, boy?"

Naruto gulped and answered as bravely as he could, "no, sir"

"Good, then go to yer girlfriend and keep'er safe, ya heard?"

Almost immediately, Naruto swept back to Sakura's side who admired the looks men were giving her when they entered the dim tavern. Naruto set down two shot glasses and nervously uncorked the sake bottle.

"Oh come _on_" began Sakura, yanking the sake from Naruto's hands who watched in horror as she downed long swigs. He watched her throat bob up and down from the concoction, silencing the murmuring room only to be broken when she heavily planted the now empty bottle on the table. The audience cheered, whooped and whistled, Naruto just gaped in fear.

"Sa-Sakura...?"

Sakura turned to him, her face tinted with pink as she grinned airily, "watcha starin' at?"

He gulped, slightly keeping his distance from her before fumbling for Gama-chan. He froze at the feel of a hand on his lap. He stared at it. He stared at her hand, _Sakura's_ hand, placed on his lap, just a few inches away from—

"We're not done yet, Naruto," she stated with a matter of factly tone of voice.

He gulped, reluctantly tearing her grip on his lap, well it wasn't actually a real grip, she was just placing her hand _there._ But still, after that stunt Sakura had pulled off this morning, and the results he received after that, he'll be keeping his distance from Sakura, he won't be drunk with her. That way, he will still live to see tomorrow with his trusy rod.

"Hey, buddy!" hollered Sakura, tipsily raising her hand up high, "another round here, if you please!"

Boisterous cheers erupted from the tavern, amused by the performance she held. It seemed as if it were the first time for the tavern to witness a female drinker who survived one straight sake bottle. Several more bottles generously placed on the table excited Sakura, dismissing the winks the males gave as they scurried away from Naruto's killing intent. Naruto surely could see a future Tsunade in Sakura. Mindless bashing, ballistic strength, unbelievable alcohol tolerance, and dare he think of it, her overly generous _hoo-ha_s that she had to conceal through an almost invisible genjutsu. Though she never admitted it, Naruto recently sensed it.

And from the way she let it show from her loose silken robes and that spandex tube shirt that hugged her breasts and that mesh garment scantily wrapping her flat stomach, taunting all eyes to gaze at her smooth skin... His gaze trailed lower until he got a good view at her legs, oh those nice thick legs that did not harbor any fat. Her sexy knee high boots with mesh socks slightly peeping through—

"Naruto, who's this?" slurred Sakura before tilting up her next sake bottle that would count as her sixth. Immediately, he pulled it away from her, before turning his head to see his clone next to the old tailor. He dismissed his clone before beaming widely enough, "Yoburo jii-chan! Great to see you here! Sakura, he's the friend I was telling you about"

Sakura bowed once before her head knocked on the table, she didn't rise after that, but Naruto didn't notice.

The old man chuckled, "I knew it, I knew she'd look good in those"

Naruto blinked; slightly astonished that there hadn't been a mix up with Sakura's apparels. Indeed, it was an intentional deviation set on what Naruto had shared his designs for her to be. He gestured for the old man to take a seat, and when he did, he grabbed a new bottle and uncorked it before drinking it down as if it were water.

He sighed contentedly. Naruto wasn't bothered by the fact that he'd end up being the only sober in their little get together, but if he wouldn't, then who would look after them, right? Yoburo swayed his bottle in the air, holding it at eye-level as he gazed at the alcohol through the tainted glass container, "When was the last time I had one of these?"

Yoburo chuckled, leaning on the wooden table, eyeing Naruto through his mirthful eyes, "ya know? I never drank without my drinking buddy, Jiraiya... but I think tonight should be an exception"

Naruto nodded before his head froze in his halfway bob, jerking his head upright, he sputtered, "You know Jiraiya?"

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: And there you have it!! Please review! Thankeez!!**


	6. Starts to Torture Naruto

**Woah, just wanna warn that there's a spoiler here from Naruto Shippuden manga 401 and 402, I shall throw in a major disclaimer at the last scene, for it is solely an original from the manga itself created by the ultimate genius Masashi Kishimoto! **

**OH HOW I WISH I OWN Naruto... but then again if I do... the manga sales will fall drastically since I'm not that great of an artist and my plot line is still amateurish, ahehehe... so, I guess, I'm satisfied enough to be a crazed, mindless fangirl at heart. (Smiles on that my lads and lassies!)**

**Okay, smuttish scenes here with a painful twist, poor Naruto once more, but after this, all the seriousness shall settle in the next chap!**

**Start**

"Know Jiraiya?" repeated Yoburo, "I practically taught him how to drink! That boy is quite the feisty one, I should say," grinned the man

Naruto sank back to his seat. This was it! He was the man that he needed to look for, and there he sat in front of him, he was Sakura's tailor to say the least! He didn't know how to handle the situation right now, Sakura was knocked out of her knickers next to him, the man is drinking right in front of him, babbling of the _good ole days with Jiraiya_.

The blonde just laughed softly in relief.

"This is greeaaaat!!" slurred Sakura, rising from her seat, slumping back on its backrest. Naruto slightly jumped from the girl's erratic behaviour, and he was supposed to be the one to specialize in that area, "Hey oooollld Mannnn!! Yer the one, dead-duuuude Jirararaiyaaaa told meh abouut!"

Naruto blinked, what was the girl talking about?!

"Ya had nooooo," Sakura swung her hands out, "idea how hard we've bin lookin' fer ya!!"

With that she tipped her chair far too back, fell off, Naruto rose to his seat, and began to wake her, slapping her cheek softly in hopes of rousing her. She just snored on like a pig. Naruto sighed; here was his one chance of asking for Yoburo's help and because of that Sakura, he might have to hold up his objective until... Kami lets him for all he cared!

With Sakura, now being carried bridal style, he left paid the bartender their dues, leaving Gama-chan hungry for money and the old man bantering out how Naruto was going to get laid tonight. He merely grimaced, since the old man was probably too drunk to understand what he was saying. Perhaps, he now knew where Jiraiya's uncontrollable perversion came from.

And to think that Yoburo was a sweet old grampa!

Conjuring up two clones to safely escort Yoburo to his house, Naruto stumbled his journey back to the inn, ensuring that no maniacs will be beating the shit out of him to snag Sakura out of his hold that night. He toppled on the bed and dumped her on top of the sheets, by the time he tried to stand upright; he found her arms clinging tightly around his neck.

Naruto froze.

"Sa-Sakura...?" gulped Naruto, it just seemed to happen that whenever he said his name like that, things were bound to get out of hand.

Her response? Wrapping her legs around his waist.

His reaction? Priceless.

"_PERVERT!!"_ And just then, the memory of what happened that morning just greeted him like a sack of brings over the head. Immediately, almost so simply, he resisted. He began to pry her arms off his neck, and when he did that, he began prying her legs off him.

Ignoring the fact that a drunken Sakura was now undoing his jacket was difficult for him to stay on task. His fingers began trembling as her hands began to stroke his arms, around his neck, massaging his scalp. A blush ran through his face when he dared to look back at her.

It was the contact of soft, silky, rosy lips against his that nearly resonated a moan out of his throat. She was vicious and unforgiving, even when it came to enticing him to give in. He knew what would happen in the morning if he evern wavered to her drunken needs.

So he held her sides and began pulling her off him, which was really difficult when she entangled him in bed with her limbs. She pressed her lips hashly on his, and Naruto bit his teeth harder and pressed his lips tighter, nearly fainting when he felt her slick tongue running through his lips.

He whimpered, she giggled malignantly. Oh how he dared to look at her in the eye!! Her eyes were glazed with lust... and love? Oh hell no, he'd better not hope for it, unless he wanted to die young. Hold on? Naruto blinked. When did Sakura manage to straddle him?

Oh dear Kami, please spare him! Naruto was being tortured and was very much alarmed at the anticipation of his drawing sword. This was a battle he was going to lose so tragically with the consequence of slicing his sword out of its hilt, he wasn't looking forward at the loss of his trusty blade.

But—ugh... why oh why did she have to grind her hips so harshly on his. His arms were still capable of moving, though his lips were locked with Sakura and his buddy down there was enjoying the company of her concealed mistress, he still had a shot of putting up a fight.

He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away, just in time to conjure another clone. Quickly getting the idea, the other Naruto pulled Sakura away, only to have her latch onto the clone. Now that it was his clone drowning her in deep, passionate, and heated kisses, he had no time to marvel in envy, but had time to escape for the night.

He had to freeze at the sight when she stripped off her robes, and was on the process of removing her mesh shirt. He really was curious as to which bra she was wearing now... Oh _hell_ no! He did not just think of that. Bolting out of the room, he raced out of the inn and ran several lapses around the village in a blur.

He supposed this was the only way he could get through the night: Wearing himself out through a jog! How great, he sulked.

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The moment the door was banged shut, Sakura halted and quirked her brow at Naruto's clone. Left in her bra, the clone's eyes were hazy with want, and from the looks of his pants, he was drawing out his sword.

Let the battle for dominance begin.

She pushed him gently into bed, and tore his pants off. He was, after all a clone. He grunted in the process, gripping the sheets in anticipation. Both of them stared at his manhood. Sakura let feather-lite touches run to the hem of his boxers before she also tore them off. He gasped at the sudden exposure, and growled deeply.

Sakura bit her lower lip and marvelled at his size, it was enormous... She chanced a look at Naruto's face: priceless. Eyes wide, lips parted and cheeks flushed red. She breathed on it, he gasped. Traced him from base to tip, he shuddered. Precum escaping from the tip, she smiled maliciously.

She sharpened her tongue and dabbed its tip on his slit. A gutteral moan escaped the blonde as he tilted his head back and pried the sheets of the bed subconsciously.

"Who wants this badly?" she asked in a sultry voice, her palms placed on each of his thigh, her lips slightly hovering his rod

"I do" he grinned at her lecherously

"You do?" she asked softly

"I do" he assured.

"Very well" she opened her mouth, baring her teeth; it wasn't long before the clone whelped in agony before he was dispelled. What happened back there? She bit him. She bit the clone's shaft off. Who did Naruto think she was? She wasn't gonna have her way with his clone.

Either way, though there may be a slight deviation in her plans, at least she's got Naruto out of the way. Now was her chance to prove that he'd need her, if... it couldn't be held in another... alternative...

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Naruto's pace began to stagger as he neared Yoburo's shop. He might as well check up on the old man rather than return to his room, who knows what Sakura might be doing to his clone. Though he may not be experiencing what his clone may be doing, he'll have to know how his night would have went by the morning.

He peered through the glass window and drew back. Slightly rubbing his eyes, and wiping the sweat from his brows. He planted his hands on the wall, then ran his palm down his face, pausing it on his mouth as he breathed heavily. This can't be happening. Testing his vision, he looked again. This time it wasn't an illusion.

In there, he saw Yoburo sitting on his desk, with Sakura's back facing Naruto. From where he stood, it seemed as if they were discussing something. He tried to search for a better angle from where he stood and manage to get a glimpse out of Yoburo's demeanor. He was serious, seemed outspoken and looked stunned.

It wasn't long before Naruto decided to march in, with fear of knowledge absent in his mind. The door chimed his arrival that seemed new. Either that or he hadn't noticed it before, but right now, everything seemed so clear, down to the very fact that Yoburo's shop had a carpet on the floor, he had a painting hung on the wall next to the window, or how old his desk seemed.

He noticed everything, but the very fact that Sakura was there. Honestly, he was doing it on purpose. He wasn't ready to face after that stunt she pulled in their room. Perhaps, he should get a separate one for himself just to be on the safe side.

"So, you decided to show up," stated Sakura, leaning on Yoburo's desk, a palm flat on it's surface while her hand placed on her hip.

"Y-yeah— weren't you supposed to be drunk?" began Naruto, finally gathering the courage to ask.

Yoburo's gaze flicked from the male to the female in anticipation

"Yeah, I was, but your clone was sure a bore," said Sakura, scrutinitising her nails,

Naruto gulped, "o-okay... so what brings you here?"

Sakura sighed, "Same reason as why you're here, I basically dragged you out of that bar. This must be dealt with in privacy; no other eyes should see what we know. Though my plan didn't exactly fall in line, I guess this shall suffice—"

"It's about that scroll, Naruto" began Yoburo, with a rather stern voice, "and may I ask if the news about Jiraiya really is real? Because I'd really be cross with a young lad who didn't share news about an old man's dear friend you know?"

Naruto blinked, panicking slightly. He did plan on telling Yoburo, but the timing seemed off. He glanced at Sakura and caught her smiling smugly, as if she was proud of her work. The woman was mad! Instead of things running smoothly, everything was exploding in shrapnels of pieces, coming right at him with a bruising hard hit, that even managed to cut right through him with cold hard facts.

He was caught off guard, he had Yoburo's attention and he was driven in to the right page in the book, all because of Sakura. Apparently, not everything she did deserved a pat on the back. The old man didn't seem too happy with Naruto, now that Sakura made it seem as if he wasn't even planning on sharing news about Jiraiya to Yoburo at all.

What was he supposed to do? Simply answer that _yes, as a matter of fact, Jiraiya is dead because I became his distraction_. Or should he say, _yes, and now I'm supposed to decipher this old scroll that your dead friend Jiraiya handed me over from my father, apparently, he expects me to seek help from you_. Or maybe—

"Naruto, are you gonna answer me or what?" snapped Yoburo

For the first time in his life, Naruto swore he'd do nothing more but fuck Sakura's brains out right now instead of barreling the old man with a horde of heart crushing tales of his friend. Well, looking on the brighter side of it all, at least the opportunities of things getting straightened were served on a cold hard platter for him with a dab of morbid delight just on the side over there. After all, life would never spoil you with its pleasures.

Just then, he felt a blinding pain constrict his manhood. He opened his mouth, choking out gasps of agony that equalled to the wrath of hell writhing with him. He clutched his crotch, pressed his knees together until he sunk to the ground. Yoburo rose from his seat and Sakura gazed in amusement. He curled up on the carpet, whimpering out unintelligible words.

It was only then Sakura remembered the possible reason she did a little while ago. Keeping her pride still, she spoke, "Oh yeah, I bit the weiner off your clone! Don't expect me to forgive you for that!"

What the hell was this madwoman talking about?! He's the one in pain, not her?! And she expects an _apology_ from him?! He was just walking down the path to hell with Sakura, and he an inkling feeling that he will die younger than what he'd expect when she's around.

But with that simple magic, all the anger Yoburo harbored towards Naruto seemed to fade away, making way for pity to come at hand.

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Madara release Sasuke from the man's hideout, as the boy slightly dragged his feet to the edge of the cliff. The ocean breeze greeted him, washing him with a new light from the bright morning and new air from the salty waters for him to take in from the breathtaking revelation.

_"Your eyes didn't see through Itachi one bit. Every single illusion he created, you accepted. Itachi killed his friends... his superiors... his girlfriend... his father… his mother… but he couldn't kill his litte brother. Crying his bloody tears, he killed his emotions, exterminated his kinsmen to save his village… But he couldn't kill you"_

His words still rang in his ear, the sound of rushing waves chanting thousands of words to comfort him and help him clear his thoughts. He succeeded, didn't he? So what was next for the Uchiha avenger, the sole body of the dying Uchiha clan.

_"Is this getting through to you? To him your life... __**was more important than the village**__. Up until the moment of his death—No, even through his death itself… he was trying to give you more power. He let you defeat him, and take revenge for the Uchiha clan, to turn you into a hero on the eyes of the Leaf."_

Madara, called forth his team—Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu—that had been on their relentless search for their leader. They landed behind him with a mantle of hush, letting the young Uchiha's mind settle for a while. Madara gazed through his orange mask, onyx eyes upon his new successor, what was the boy thinking now?

_"Disease was eating away at him from the inside, and he knew his time was short. He took all kinds of medicine just to keep himself alive… all for his beloved little brother. All so he could fight you, and die at your feet. To protect peace in the Leaf Village and most importantly, Uchiha Sasuke, yourself... He lived as a fugitive, a traitor, a criminal for the release of death." _

A short gasp of restrained sobs rang through the salty air; tears and the water were no different. Sasuke, wept for all he was worth as memories of he and his brother flashed through his mind. It was over. The epic journey to avenge his clan was over, now fully equipped with Madara's objective concerning of the village, he calmed down at last

_"He traded his pride for disgrace... and your love for your hatred and even still, Itachi died with a smile on his face. He left the name of __**'Uchiha'**__ to you, and deceived you all the way to the end. Standing amidst the crashing waves."_

A hawk made its presence known as it flew overhead, ocean waves ebbed from the shore and Sasuke spoke, "Our group will no longer be known as _'Snake._' From now on, we refer to ourselves as '_Hawk._' _Hawk_ only has one purpose. One goal..."

The Uchiha flashed his eyes open revealing an exotic marking of red and black of a six-pointed star, with a minute definition within it to surround his lone iris. With a dark edge driven to his voice, he went on, "The complete and utter destruction of the Leaf"

_**To Be Continued...**_

_**A/N: That last part with Sasuke's scene was driven straight out from the manga, full disclaimer from there, but just had an itch to just add that bit in. Hehe, I hope you won't mind Mr. Masashi Kishimoto-san, but you have driven an awesome impact from your beloved fan!! (Glomps)**_

_**I realized that there was more torturing Naruto in here... please don't hate me for that, I just simply fall deeper and deeper in love with Naruto because of his oh, so adorable ways of coping up with my punishments, hehehehe!! Anyways, now that you Hawk finally found Sasuke, I just want you to know that Time is finally catching up on Naruto, so that means... to the hustle!**_

_**Okay, and so the horsing around finally ends here, the seriousness shall settle in the next chapter, which is actually done by now as I speak. Unless I get a rush of reviews from each reader, it shall be released after a reasonable amount of reviews, possibly today if that happens... so**_

_**REVIEW!! Please and Thank You!**_


	7. With An Almost But Not Quite

**DAAAAAAMMMNNNN!! (followed by thousands of millions of curses that are highly censored for the sake of filtering the story… another hour to be allowed for another marathon of verbal diarhea... the sounds of chanting monks, a very, very noisy traffic, an earth shattering volcano explosion, hundreds of ambulances with their eerie sirens, a freakishly loud feline orhcestra in the middle of the night, tribal drums thumping the night away, a horde of monkeys screeching their ears out, some random lions roaring nearby, a horrible stampede of noisy elephants and a serenade of a gargantuan sperm whale, a mythical banshee wailing until your ears bleed, the niagara falls crashing down, a mighty dam breaking its walls, the big bang explosion occurs...) shit!! (oops, missed that one out...)**

**Okay... now that's over with, I'm slightly sober. Remember when I told you guys that I had this chapter done and out with, here, let me break it to you, my (an eeriely long superdy uperdy uberly dupanyduper long censored beep...) of a computer, well laptop really, saved my work in a (unnecessary thousand screams of newborn babies) heap of trash, my f(LALALALALA!! YOU CAN'T HEAR IT!!)ing USB got kinda ruined, I don't care how in the f(wooooootwooooootwoooot MAJOR CAR ALARM)ing world **_**that **_**happened, and when I saved it in a f(a parade from Disney Land magically jumps in)ing frenzy, it became a f(the Lion King introduction barges in)ing nautical conclusion of a thousand f(a mighty tornado sweeps through the land)ing dialects subsituted by stupid f(an atomic bomb gets dropped somewhere in the sea and goes off)ing boxes since my f(big foot shows up with a mighty fiddle and fiddles the night away)ing computer can't do the stupid f(beeeep)ing translation and thus concludes the ruin of my overly superdy haaaaard work!! **_**AND IT WAS A MASTERPIECE I TELL YA!!**_

**(pants heavily, breathes heavily, and weeps)**

**Please bear with my as I try to rewrite this...**

**Start**

Though any signs of physical injury were absent, Sakura had forcefully insisted Naruto to _'sit on the stool and drop the pants'_. Well, Naruto of course had done all so with reluctance until she had taken things into action. Yoburo, granting them the decency of privacy, shied away into the house of his shop and took a _mighty_ long nap.

So now, Naruto sat... well... _ahem_... bare before Sakura. Pants down by his ankles, and legs forcefully spread out for... erm... Sakura... to... as she says, _examine it_. Her fingers pressed down into his inner thigh, palming his legs in place, and Naruto would have to swallow down his whimper. Not only did it hurt, but it was... frightening to have her ogle this severely at his proud katana.

To Naruto, he saw this as her sick excuse to see what she wants to see. Well, all's fair in love and war, since he also saw stuff out of Sakura... so he might as well consider this as payback—gulp. Well… that's... that's unnecessary, she's... how do you say it... fondling. Him. There. But since Sakura was in _medic mode_, Naruto might as well just dismiss that thought.

He clenched the wooden stool 'til it creaked, applied force until his knuckles turned white. Yes, he was in pain, but he was also battling out raging hormones from within him with a massive club to keep those things in line. He hated those sick little bastards scientists called _raging hormones_, he won't lose his prized possession out of their impulses, oh no. Though his sword was drawing out from the hilt, he feared that he was losing in a battle for control—GAH!!

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" grunted Naruto, who's breath grew ragged, daring to chance a glance at the kunoichi—OH MY KAMI!!

"Sucking the load out" came her matter of factly tone of voice. DOES SHE HAVE ANY IDEA WITH WHAT SHE'S DOING?! Well, yes, she was doing it through her chakra but—UGH!!

"STOP!!" whimpered Naruto, jerking out of her hands, if he wants her to cum, he should cum _naturally_ NOT **forced! **Though he must admit that it felt kinda nice—no he won't.

Sakura, who had been kneeling in front of his mighty warrior, planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Naruto, unless you want your penis to finally stop its function, we _have_ to do this, alright?!"

"Don't you have _any_ other _alternative?!_" complained Naruto

"Well, if there was any other way, I'd gladly do so, but for now, you have _internal_ damage and not _external_. We need to get you flaccid to make this quicker—so _siddown and get back 'ere_!" barked Sakura

Naruto scowled before dragging the stool back to her, nervously letting her face him down there again, wondering if this was a good idea at all. Having Sakura heal him there and all, seems quite awkward. It wasn't long until he sucked in his breath as she did it again, his shooting seed were replaced by a cool, relaxing sensation that faltered his anticipation. It felt good actually, not much with the pleasure, though, but the comfort—AGH!!

Apparently, Sakura stuck her index finger somewhere _sensitive_ to him... in him—and even _he_ the owner of _his body_, didn't know it even _existed_. He moaned unwillingly, it was a reflex, afterall. He watched her bleary-eyed, and saw her nod, professional green eyes scrutinizing him, glancing at his manhood and his facial expression. She wiggled her finger slightly and he let out a ragged gasp, then she pulled her finger out and he nearly whimpered in disatisfaction.

He watched her rise to her knees, wiping her hand on a tissue she found from a tissue box nearby and turned her back on him. Blinking his way back to reality, he scrambled to yank his pants up. Scowling when she turned to face him, immediately it faded away and a whole different air settled in; it was the kind of feeling that made anyone realize how warm it was in the room.

That was the most awkward situation he had ever been in

"You kids done yet?" asked Yoburo from within his room, feet sliding as he entered the shop

"Huh, oh yeah, we're done, we'll just..."

"...clean up" said Naruto, finishing Sakura's sentence. Yoburo's desk was the center of all mess, since Sakura threw the unwanted _cum_ on tissues piled on top of its once-clean surface. Naruto hastily initiated the chore, and Sakura followed after; both of them ignoring each other's gaze until they finished.

The moment the shop was back to normal, as they assumed, they planted the dim lamp on the edge of the table before Naruto unravelled the scroll before them. Yoburo settled on the stool and pushed his spectacles up on the bridge of his nose and careful eyes scanned through the scroll.

"This is..." began Yoburo, his sentence fading into unintelligible sentences. Sakura and Naruto exchanged glances before the old man turned to Naruto, "do you know who wrote this?!"

Naruto blinked and answered carefully, "my father...?"

"Namikaze Minato," snorted Yoburo, "Jiraiya's crazy student who went about beyond the mortal realm, climbed above holy walls, dove beneath hell's pit, breaching any mortal code that defied the gods. Do you know the consequences of even reading a word from such Clandestine, Forbidden Inscriptions?"

Naruto blinked back, he didn't know the consequences, but knew that his father, who knows the secrets, was stuck in limbo for knowing the things that should have remained the way they were, secrets.

"Water..." breathed Yoburo, turning away from Naruto as he feebly made his way to his home, "I need water..."

Sakura glared at Naruto before running after the old man, "let me help you..." he heard her say.

Naruto plopped into the stool and gazed at the scroll's surface. It seemed as if it hadn't aged at all, the parchment was still in great condition, the ink glimmered as if it was newly written and it smelt like wet ink. How can such scroll bring him this much trouble?

Forbidden Inscriptions... Naruto snorted, disliking the fact that the word Forbidden was beginning to get overused for his liking. He dismissed the word, seeing to it that he had read more sinful books written by his sensei to even get so worked up over a scroll. Yoburo stumbled back into the shop with Sakura behind him, holding a half-empty cup.

Naruto made way for the man settle into the seat, take in a deep breath, and place his finger beneath a word. "Here..." he said, then read through the line, fingertip sliding beneath foreign words as he translated it, "from a medium's word, you'll have the key. With untouched blood the mortal will see, Beneath golden sand, there hides she, A favor to seek her half from thee."

Naruto blinked, "and so, in our language it will mean..." his hands began to gesture in exageration for the man to continue but Yoburo just stared back

"It's a riddle" concluded Sakura, biting her lower lips as she crossed her arms in front of her, eyes darting to Naruto to landed on his rear in defeat

"Very good, it's really late, let's get some sleep" smiled Yoburo

"NO!" barked Naruto, rising to his feet, "read on"

Yoburo looked at Naruto as if his head was missing, the man shook his head in fear, mouth stuttering until a blur moved in and Sakura yelped, finding the old man pinned to the wall by his neck. Naruto stood there, held him there, upper lip pulled back into a frightening sneer, displaying elongated fangs. Eyes had grown red and wild; his whiskers roughly etched on his face, replacing what were once mere lines.

"_Listen old man_" growled Naruto, slightly adding in the pressure that got Yoburo flailing his limbs in attempt to be released, "_I've lost my sensei, earned my heritage at the last minute, lived as my father's legacy, nearly had __**her**__ killed because of my twisted bastard of a friend's skanky gang. Now I've found you, and you have no idea how much it was a pain in ass, you're going to throw the situation around like its some sin, when its just a hoax. DAMN IT!_"

Naruto and Yoburo's eyes locked in a stare down, the old man had much more beneath those eyes that wrenched Naruto's heart. It seemed like some sort of connection as he poured forth his sympathy. Tears had silently fallen from the corners of his cheeks, and Naruto didn't even notice.

He was tired, the sudden revelation of all things he never new existed came to a hard hit on him like the way all the realities in the world rested its weight on his shoulders. He was just one step closer to ending it all, and he wanted it to be soon. He wanted to finish what his father started and he doesn't know that unless he knows the rest of what the scroll contained. He wanted it all to be done, to get it over with, he wanted... he wanted... what _did _he want?

From there, he eased his grip on the old man and shook his head. The kitsune's feature's slowly fading away. He went to the scroll, tapped it once before it whizzed as it rolled itself closed. Stuffing it into his pocket, he headed for the exit and paused for one second.

He glanced over his shoulder and sighed, "let's get some sleep"

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Sakura blinked and had to admit that the day had gone really erratic. From getting new clothes, buying bra and panties, wasting herself with alcohol, castrating Naruto's clone, healing the user, from reading the scroll that nearly ended in a blood bath. She sighed the moment Naruto shut the door closed, rattling Yoburo's shop.

She apologized and studied his neck, minor damage had been done and she healed him as payment for what her friend had done to him. He smiled softly and dismissed it, saying that Naruto reminded him of himself when he was younger. Sakura then departed and made her way back to the inn with slow and hesitant pace.

Her day was as chaotic as her surrounding and managed to defend herself from a group of drunken maniacs by knocking them out cold. She had much more to worried about when she'd enter the inn. And it wasn't long until she was expected to face the _un_expected.

Poking her head through the small gap she made on the door, she saw Naruto fast asleep, flat on his stomach, occupying the left side of the bed. She sighed, rather disgusted that he didn't had the decency to remove his filthy sandals. So, every so quietly, she walked through the dark and carefully tugged at his sandals, pausing whenever he'd stir quite slightly.

She sighed, tilting back on her heel before quietly crawling under the sheets next to him. Tossing her silken robe out of her, she snuggled next to Naruto, since there were only two pillows used for the head. From her supine state, she wiggled herself lower until she was facing right at his slumbering façade.

Sakura marvelled at Naruto's serenity. His face basked beneath the moonlight simply tight a knot in her chest that made it hard for her to breathe unless she blushed first. A feeling she needed to force herself whenever she locked eyes with Sasuke. The effect Naruto had on her was simply effortless. And that was what intrigued her.

The sun was slowly crawling up into the sky, ushering the moon and its thousand armies to step aside. Throughout those slow hours, Sakura's eyes had been wide open, cherishing the rarest sight her eyes can ever pick up on. And that was to have Naruto rest peacefully next to her, the beauty of his visage radiated at the changing of soft hues that poured through their window, from a faint orange to a fitting yellow that radiated a golden aura off him.

Out of courage, she lifted a hand to run her fingertips on his face, then just pluck a stray strand of golden hair out of his forehead. So, very, very cliché. But that was who she was, no matter how corny the scene may be, she was still a hopeless romantic, waiting in line for her knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet.

Everything seemed... _perfect_ to her that morning. The steady breathing of Naruto, blowing her face with a cool air, she'd shudder, breathing in his scent, then sigh contentedly. She propped herself up on one elbow and hesitated for a moment, biting her lowerlip as she gazed at his lips.

There was an innocent kiss, waiting to be stolen.

It wasn't long before she felt his magnetic pull on her, it wasn't that she wanted to or that she didn't, but she just... did. The gap set between their lips were slowly being covered, her eyes, carefully watching his closed ones turned to his unmoving lips. And ever so slowly she inched in closer, her eyes slowly drooping shut and then—

"What are you doing?"... asked Naruto

Her eyes fluttered open, her nostrils flared, her lips pressed tight and gazed right at Naruto's deep blue eyes; their lips were a hair's breadth apart. A flash of a second shadowed over her, where a thousand reasons came flying through her mind, but just can't seem to catch one to explain what she did. The truth was always waiting to be chosen, but she always hesitated to reel that catch in. Her mouth opened and shut in countless repetition, her throat tied in a knot to prevent a sound, her eyes failing to avert from Naruto's. And then... and then...

……..

And then she just _had_ to rely on impulse. With a sharp scream and a flail of the blanket, she drew her fist and—_**POW!!**_

Well that went well.

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After going through a rough night and a _brilliant_ wake up call, Naruto had all the reason in the world to _enjoy_ life.

With his hands roughly stuck in his pocket, and a disgruntled façade set on his face, he stared down his path with an awkward Sakura walking next to him. Whenever she tried to start small talk, he'd glare at her from the corner of his eye, successfully shutting her up. She saw his fury that night; she didn't want to experience it herself.

There were times she was allowed to throw Naruto around... but of course for a very good reason, which is why Naruto would allow her to do so without holding back. But this morning... _this_ morning was _completely_ uncalled for. So he had all the right to send her to Konoha with one _mighty_ kick in the rump, and she knew that. Oh dear Kami, she knew that.

The walk to Yoburo's shop was quick and quiet, but things had fallen worse to see that the shop was still closed. With a grunt Naruto headed for another direction... away from it. Sakura blinked before attempting to open the door herself. Realizing that it really was closed, she tailed after Naruto, too ashamed to walk right next to him.

What _did_ she do a while ago?

Well... before punching the brains out of his head, which she later on healed haplessly to keep him alive.

Why did she initiate a move on him, what _was_ that urge? That foreign feeling that she was meant to lean in _that_ close. What did she want out of him? That really bothered her, for she knew the answer but still dodged the idea.

Naruto led the way, entering the richer district of the town, passing by the nobility who resided in the area, walking with their noses held high. The buildings were as noble as their creators, with archaic designs made to be admired as they adorned the cobbestones streets. Naruto stood before a building that stood out from the rest, a marble slab pressed above the grand double door with the words, _The Library_ engraved on the material.

In front of it stood a marble fountain with a maiden pouring water out of a jar with a fish spouting some from its mouth as it stood tall on the jar's rim. Sakura blinked as she watched Naruto jog up the steps before entering the library. Quickly, she ran after him and gasped at the interior designs. It was as majestic as its exterior, the high vaulted ceiling had an oculus smack dab in the middle.

Towering shelves lined up in rows held thousands and thousands of book from where Sakura could see. None touched the walls, as they were all glass windows for the light to enter, tables were built out of the windowsills along with complimentary comfortable-looking armchairs, which some scholars occupied with piles of books and scrolls covering their area.

Naruto walked up to the supposed Librarian who had her hair pulled into a bun, dressed in a kimono and a very friendly smile plastered on her face. Naruto politely asked for a sheet of paper, the woman smiled and handed him what he wanted, along with a pen. He thanked her; she winked back at him, Sakura flushed with jealousy. Wait what?

Shaking her head at the thought Naruto strode to the nearest table windowsill-like place and placed the piece of paper, sitting on a seat and staring up at a dazed Sakura. She still hadn't gotten over what she just tried to do that morning, not that Naruto knew what she was thinking of.

The moment she settled on the seat, she held the pen, glanced at the paper then gave a questioning look at Naruto. He leaned in, his elbows on knees; hands clasped together and eyes staring at the blank page. When she didn't move as what he expected, he asked, "go on"

Sakura blinked, "go on _what_?"

He sighed, "the riddle, write it down"

"Oh" quickly, she wrote it with a careful hand. He sighed, so much for _quickly_. Watching her fingers move to careful strokes, he planted his forehead on the surface of the table, waiting for her to finish. Wasn't she supposed to be a quick writer since she works in the hospital? You know, scribbling on the clipboard and stuff, when he voiced out his thought, she simply glared at him

"There, I'm done" she grunted, setting the pen down on the table before leaning back on the armchair's backrest with her arms and legs crossed.

He scanned through the paper and nodded before setting it gently before her, "now think"

Sakura rolled her eyes with a scoff, was he actually bossing her around? She glared at him, then pointed at his face, trying to send the message that she was still at fault for punching him senseless that morning. With a furious red scorching her face, she leaned to the table and hung her head low, eyeing the paper with such intensity... just so that she can forget about _that_ incident.

He stared at her, waiting for some of her mind magic to work. And then leaned back, placing his ankle on one knee while his intertwined fingers were placed on his stomach. He looked around, admiring the library; it was quite fancy and put Konoha's architect to shame. They were in Earth Country and that ethnicity reflected on the designs.

"Have met a fortune teller lately?" asked Sakura

"What?" said Naruto, turning to face him. She repeated her question and he shook his head, then resumed looking around

"Any palm reading? Crystal balls? Tarot Cards? Fortune cookies?" Naruto shook his head to all the things she said before sighing hopefully, "anything?"

Naruto hummed thoughtfully, "where there was the Frog Sage—"

"That's right, the prophecy!" gasped Sakura, beaming widely at Naruto, "the Frog Sage was your medium!"

"Who Jiraiya?"

"No the Wisened, Old Frog Sage" hissed Sakura, dropping her voice low

Naruto gave her a look. An incredulous one that made you go "_what?"_

"How'd you know all that?" asked the blonde. Sakura blinked, that's right, he never told her, Jiraiya did... from the grave. Shaking that thought out, she quickly covered up

"That's not the point now, tell me what your prophecy was"

Naruto blinked then looked away, gazing at the town from the window, "I can't"

Sakura's brows furrowed then hissed, "what do you mean you can't? You have to—"

"I know, but I can't" answered Naruto rather _too_ quickly

Sakura drew in a deep breath, gripping the pen in her hand tightly as she rose it to her forehead. The library's table suddenly seemed to tempting to bang her fist on, but she held back, her hand shaking as she painstakingly _tried_ not to land it heavily on the surface. Then, cracking a shit-faced smile, she eeriely turned her head to Naruto, pressing her temples with her writing hand as it's elbow rested on the table. She was on the edge of her seat, a brilliant presentation of her patience, "and why not" came the disgruntled question through her gritted teeth

Naruto looked at her, dead in the eye and deadpanned, "coz I forgot"

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The view from the cliff had a calming effect on Sasuke. He stayed put, contemplating with the past, not quite ready to move on just yet. His team had been faithfully waiting behind him, no one bothered him, not that he was complaining or anything.

Then he sighed speaking to them, "the plan will be carried out after phase one"

The bravest of team Hawk spoke up, voicing out the team's disbelief, "What?" hissed Karin. Obviously, that was contradicting what he said hours ago. Didn't he say that the goal of Hawk was the utter and complete destruction of Konoha? Why was there a sudden change in plans? Then Karin calmed down, "why?"

"I have somethings to handle first," answered Sasuke, his back still facing them

"Such as.,.?" probed Karin

"Naruto"

Before Karin could go on and ask again, Suigetsu interrupted, "Geez, do you always have to ask the obvious? It's quite _obvious_ that Sasuke can't stand that motherfucking bastard and simply wants to kill him, right?"

Sasuke denied wordlessly, "He won't let the village go down without a fight, and besides there's still something that I need to do first"

Not entirely convinced, Karin walked up to him, kept her glasses and spoke in the most approachable voice she could ever manage, "such as...?"

Glaring at her from the corner of his eye, Sasuke finally spoke up, "breaking those bonds with Naruto... for good"

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: Okay... obviously I didn't manage to recreate the original since I really forgot how it went... but here's what I can make up for it... I hope it was still good enough to snag you all. I also notced how much alerts and favorites this story has, though I'm really flatered, I'd very much appreciate if those Alertees will also drop in some of their reviews…**

**Then I'd really appreciate it! Heh!**

**Please visit my profile page and then click the URL link under the name "Sakura's Garment" to see what Sakura's clothes look likef. If you want to color it, please contact me through FF and then I'll let you, I mean for those who are interested in polishing my drawing, ahehe. Colors aren't good with me... or was it the other way around. Anyways…**

**REVIEW!! Please and thank you!**


	8. And its Mild Amusement

**A/N: Thank you Readers, Reviewers, those who Alerted and Favored Forbidden Heritage, please keep doing your thing!**

**Please read, enjoy and then later on, Review!**

**Here's the next Installment, and so it shall...**

**Start**

In the world of shinobi, all ninjas held a firm conviction towards one ultimate rule. And that was to _trust no one_. Apparently, that belief had been altered in Konoha. However, even if this may be so, there were still some that fastened their rules to the belief. For those who went through worse, it was their only key to survival.

Naruto, though trusted Sakura, didn't entirely hand over his whole life to her. Why yes, he let him heal her _there_. Why yes, he had seen her _there_. But no, he won't tell her _that_. No to what? Well to the latter of course. He had _seen_ her but didn't tell her. Naruto played the ignorant fool, but for a very good reason. That outlook had died the moment Jiraiya dragged him to the _real_ world, which was beyond the walls of Konoha, beyond the boundary of the Fire Country and had skated around the northern and southern poles of the world.

With Jiraiya's help, he saw the ugly, the dirty, and all the other things their forefathers avoided sharing with, for it was their knowledge that would corrupt the younger, more naïve generation. And it was oh so much more than simple rated-R things in the world. Because it was a piece of information that the new generation did not receive so openly, it was their efforts that twisted their minds, it was the stumbling into such knowledge that didn't grant them the precise perception.

They got their knowledge without the right explanation to it all, amongst the thousand of opinions many spoke of, it only took the knowledge of the elders to ensure the clarity of their minds.

Now that rant had been said, many will begin to question this. Why, exactly, am I saying this? Well, dear friends, this is what has been going in Naruto's head for the past ten minutes since he lied to Sakura that he didn't remember what his prophecy was. For the past ten minutes, he'd been feigning his efforts to remember what he forgot, a vital information that needed to be shared so that they may decipher the scroll.

He was beyond willing to finish the damned thing, but when it came to something ever _so_ _personal_, it just became an obstruction to his efforts. This was _Sakura, _the Sakura who swore loyalty to Sasuke. Heck, the man swore loyalty to homosexual pedophile, now didn't he? And even he turned against said freak. How can Naruto believe her, if she ever got hold of what his future lies, who knows what she will do? Of course, the chances of Sakura turning against Naruto are very unlikely, but he still is aware that Sasuke holds a grudge against him and _will_ use Sakura to get to him.

It was the sudden turn of events that got him falling deeper for her though. Yes, he will admit that Jiraiya's perversion was rubbing off on him, but because of that, he was finally seeing the other side of Sakura's dark beauty. It was her female body that he saw for the first time, even if he had done those nasty jutsus of naked women, it was Sakura that held defined details that his jutsus obscenely hid as a sorry excuse of some wild erotica. Sakura's dark beauty that revealed all the forbidden things he saw, greatly affected him in many ways.

Now, no matter how much he wanted to keep his prophecy private, it was just hard to do so without making Sakura so hopeful and so enthusiastic in helping him in this. And it hurt him. This was Sakura making an unspoken vow to help him get through this, for a man who made thousands of promises, understood her; the efforts she put, only to be thrown away because he didn't exactly trust her with the secrets he held dear to himself, was truly torture enough for him.

Now that Jiraiya was long gone, there was no one else that he trusted, even if he didn't say it aloud, even if he does tell his friends that he trusted them all, it was all just half the truth. It was a mixture of trusting them all and not trusting them all.

"So, do you remember it yet?" asked Sakura staring at him with such eager eyes

"I told you," he sighed and shook his head, "I forgot"

"Well, I think I can help you," offered Sakura

"If it means drinking that piece of shit, then no," responded Naruto with a tone he'd least expect. For a moment, it sounded like what Sasuke would say. He blinked, looked at Sakura and waited for a response

A tick mark. How cute, it was just right on her large _kissable_ forehead. He pressed a hand to his mouth to cover that smirk.

"It is _not _a piece of crap. It is a concoction of—never mind, that doesn't matter. Besides, I wasn't thinking of that, I was thinking of more on injecting my chakra into your mind so that I may sift through your memo—"

"No" interrupted Naruto, wearing an unconscious look of defiance, there was no way in hell he'd let her do that

"I figured you'd say that—but imagine how much time we can save," insisted Sakura, unaware with the fact that she was pulling her armchair closer to him. Naruto had been pushing himself against his armchair, feet sliding in his feeble attempt to kick it back. Oh yeah, how can he forget, she's Sakura, the Hokage's apprentice, well known with the ballistic strength the Godaime handed her down with.

So he finally gave in, but didn't ease his back, because if he did, his lips would press against Sakura's. Yes, she was _that_ close to him. The last time she did that, Naruto was rewarded with an illogical punch to the face, a reason to which she still hadn't answered.

Clearing his throat and quirking a bow, he took a quick glance at her immaculate features from such distance; Sakura got the message and quickly drew back. It ached his pulsating heart to see how hopeful she was with helping him. He liked her and all, but trust was something to be earned, it was never meant to be given away too easily.

Sakura turned back to the piece of paper with a pout. It was... _adorable_ to say the least. The very fact that she was doing it without a piece of her mind, the fact that she didn't know she was doing it was what amused Naruto. To him, she was _naturally cute_ and _sexy_ at the same time. A rare combination he didn't come across with too easily. Women that tried to portray that would have to work _so hard_ to fall into both categories.

She tapped the tip of her pen on the desk, her other hand unconsciously running her hair behind her ear then stopping there, showing more of her face to Naruto. She was like a moving portrait to be implanted into his memory forever. She turned to him on an instinct, blinked and moved her lips... over and over... until he heard his name buzz

"uto... Naruto? What is it?" she said, he hauled back to the real world, he breathed in, dropped his natural smile and straightened his back. Leaning forward to see the notes she jotted down, he breathed out a flighty, "what?"

Sakura scoffed, raised a brow and poked her cheek with her tongue. She was curious at the way he stared at her, and that was what she questioned. The way Naruto reacted proved that he hadn't been listening at all. She let it slide... for now. Together they read the riddle in silence

From a medium's word, you'll have the key  
With untouched blood the mortal will see  
Beneath golden sand, there hides she  
A favor to seek her half from thee

"Okay, from what I can think of, the first line tells us that whatever the prophecy told you, it can help find something that will help you _unlock _something"

Naruto looked at her then raised both brows as he glanced back at the paper, "that makes sense. Very specific should I say?"

Sakura scoffed and slapped him playfully on the arm, "yeah, well, if you hadn't forgotten what you need to know— what? Why are you staring at me like that again?"

Naruto slightly jerked his head back and drew back his distance, slightly caught off guard, defending himself he scoffed out, "_Again_?! I was _not_ staring at you, _again_. As a matter of fact, I had _not _been staring at you _at all_—you had something on your face, that's all" _lies_, he thought

Before Sakura could bring her hand to her face he added, "and why did you _slap_ me?"

"_Slap you?_ Why would I slap you?"

Naruto shrugged but kept a frisky smirk on his face, immediately, Sakura forced chakra to cool down her heating cheeks and quickly defended herself, "I did not slap you. I _would not_ slap you—and even if I did—which I didn't—it didn't kill you now, did it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "yeah, whatever. What about the second line?" he tapped his finger on the paper, then Sakura continued, biting back an untimely smile as she refocused her gaze.

"With untouched blood the mortal will see... this ones quite tricky, untouched blood can mean virgin blood... which basically means lack of experience or none at all in having—"

"Sex?" asked Naruto, his grin growing wider while gazing at Sakura. A bright pink hue flared in her cheeks, clearing her throat she nodded, he sighed, leaning back to his chair, hands clasped behind his head as he nonchalantly added, "basically, a _virgin _can _see_ whatever it is we need to _see_? I don't _see_ anything tricky in that"

Sakura nodded again, growing redder by the minute, Naruto had to chuckle at this, she continued, "golden sand is quite a dead give away, we'll find whatever it is in Suna, where she may be hiding... but the last part… I'm not sure, but she will be asking you a favor"

Naruto's head slightly dipped low, "that's it?" Sakura nodded

"A riddle that simple? That's it?" repeated Naruto, Sakura nodded again, he spoke "either you're a genius or it's really that simple..."

"So basically, Yoburo solved it for us but made it rhyme... to make it seem like a riddle?" concluded Naruto, inclining towards the table

"Well, at least it saved us time, right?" remarked Sakura

"Either that or Yoburo's not telling us something" stated Naruto, sinking back to his armchair.

"But if he's doing just that, then that means we haven't really done anything," added Sakura

Darting his eyes back to hers he spoke, "but we really can't be sure... you're the medic-nin, don't you think that you can detect if someone's lying?"

Sakura's brow raised, "what, you're planning to interrogate him?"

"Nah..." said Naruto, rising to his feet as he stretched his back, he snatched the paper from the desk, folded it, pocketed it, and then continued, "more of like a converse"

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Handing over reasonable amount of money to Sakura, Naruto pocketed the folded piece of paper and sealed it away together with the _Forbidden_ Scroll, as he calls it. The plan was to have lunch over at old man Yoburo's shop to have their meal while _conversing_ about the _riddle_ Yoburo had _translated_ from the scroll.

With the sonorous notes of the door chime announcing Naruto's arrival, the old man scurried out from his small room with a brown parcel in hand, shoving it to the boy's hands. Clutching it with conspicuous discombobulation, Naruto muttered his faint gratitude before gesturing Yoburo to take a seat.

The old man obliged, smiling in oblivion. Naruto smirked back, explaining that Sakura will be over in a minute with lunch. Just then, Yoburo clapped his hands together

"Mind you, that parcel is for you to open when you get back to your inn—have you seen my painting?"

Naruto's brows furrowed in confusion, with a hesitant nod, the old man laughed once more, "that's a good painting there, it's really worth examining, must be priceless these days" sighed Yoburo, leaning against his desk with a palm, eyeing the contents of the frame with gusto.

Raising one of his brows, Naruto decided to join him. The painting, framed in a meticulously carved design bore, was a silhouette of a man wielding identical foreign weapons. It was a bit like a gauntlet that reached past the forearms, on the other end, jutting just right past his fists was a thick blade at least a foot long with slender edges.

The unobtrusive painting that never really shined in the humble shop now conquered Naruto's attention. Honestly, the consistency of said painting was quite simple, details were exceptional, but it was the intense focus on the weapons the said man wielded was what enthralled the blonde. If he had paid more attention to the fact that he approached it, he would have even noticed that he was delicately running his fingertips across the elegant simplicity of said weapons.

"Beautiful" whispered Naruto, exhaling the breath he held

"It is..." agreed Yoburo, from behind the desk, "it really is. The scroll that you have, Naruto, talks about those weapons, it talks about the _Legendary Weapons_ that both Heaven and Hell discarded on Earth in hopes of concealing it from mortal eyes."

Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto stuttered, "W-why?"

"It was the greatest secret that the scroll harbored, a legend that your Father discovered and wishes to hand over to you. That scroll, Naruto, is full of codes, full of symbols, full of everything that should _not_ rest in _mortal hands_. But the truth is, amidst all that, it was your Father's Death Wish... or more of a Wishlist. Either one, it's quite the same"

Turning his head back on the painting, he began tracing the outlines of the smudged shadow of the enigmatic person in the canvas, "I don't get it... what do you mean?"

"Naruto, I only managed to read almost one-third of it. The rest is _too_ old or _too_ foreign for me to translate, let alone understand. If I'm not wrong, there's a jutsu out there that will fully decode the scroll...there should be"

"How do you know?" asked Naruto, "what if there isn't? What if you're the only one—the best out of everyone—"

"Trust me Naruto... It's your father—_he's_ your father, you're his son, you'll know where to find it... I think the reason why I can't even read it, is because it's not for me to read" explained Yoburo

Naruto lowered his head, slightly pressing his forehead right beneath the wooden frame.

"Before you head out on your journey, Naruto. I've a request from you"

Naruto nodded

"Will you please scatter my ashes in Sunagakure?"

Jerking his head away from the wall, Naruto spun on his heel retorting, "you're not even dead, how can I—"

His voice died down to a whisper. The old man behind the desk was gone; on top of the desk was a small ink jar. Out of curiosity, he lifted the lid and stared at black powder... or were they ashes. He looked around the shop again, but failed to sense the old man's presence. He swallowed and withdrew his hand from the container, stepping back from it until he met the wall's cool surface.

It can't be possible, the old man was... just there. He wasn't a ninja... or he could be, he should be and maybe didn't share that bit to him. A retired ninja who became Jiraiya's drinking buddy who helped him _try_ to decode the scroll his father gave him... and... and... he talked with the old man... he... can't possibly...

It's impossible. It _is_. Shoving that thought aside, he resolved to examine the black powder. Pinching just enough, he rubbed it between his two fingers, feeling the texture. Then he brought it up to his nose to take a whiff. These... _were_ ashes... Naruto blanched... his head throbbed in lightness, his vision distorted then dimmed to nothingness.

Naruto fainted.

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Meanwhile, Sakura managed to purchase three sets of _bento_, rather pleased that her choices were of the best. Surely Naruto wouldn't mind if there were no change left out of it, but heck, if they were going to have lunch, she was going to have a decent one!

She strolled down the dusty road, passing by clumps of brick-boxes this poor side of the district called _buildings_. Though, Sakura kept that thought to herself, not everyone was fortunate enough to reside in the uptown... though she really hoped she was heading there, perhaps a little shopping in that area might be decent. Perhaps Naruto would agree to that. Perhaps.

She giggled in apprehension, storing that thought before reaching the shop.

"Naruto, Yoburo-sama," crooned Sakura, "I'm _heeere_..."

The shop was empty, but she sensed Naruto's faint chakra. Their lunch slipped past her grip at the sight of his legs behind Yoburo's desk; she rushed to his side. Scanning through the basic areas to check for any sign of injury; concluding that he simply fainted, she flared her chakra to rouse him from his shallow slumber.

Shooting his eyes wide open, his pupils frantically flickered about, glancing down at a brown parcel he clutched tightly he let out a short scream, releasing it before focusing on Sakura. He blanched, his complexion nearly matching a clean sheet of paper; sweat accumulated on his face, then his breath shallowed.

Sakura instinctively glanced over her shoulder and scanned the room through her chakra, failing to see or sense any presence other than their own; she turned back to Naruto with a gentle voice, "are you alright—looks like you've seen a ghost or something"

With a blink of an eye, he was gone from the floor and outside, peering through the window. Sakura rose to her feet, scooping up the item he dropped and planted a hand to her hip, her brow arched high, giving him an incredulous look. He pointed towards the direction of the desk, she assumed it was the small ink jar positioned in the middle, she pointed directly at it, he nodded.

Then he leaned at the far right of the window and pointed towards the left, right at a painting that hung next to it. Sakura tucked the parcel under her arm before grabbing it from the wall and showed it to Naruto, he nodded vigorously, she cocked her head back, was she supposed to bring that foot long, half-foot wide painting along?

Naruto grinned, displaying his thumb up. Question answered, she strode out of the shop.

"Naruto, would you mind explaining why I'm... carrying these?" she stared at him slowly backing away just as she was walking towards him. She held the ink jar in her left hand and the large painting in the other, the parcel, still stuck under her left arm.

"Stay away from me!" blurted Naruto when Sakura took a step forth

"What the hell?"

"Th-that jar!" gasped Naruto, pointing at it with a straight finger, "has the old man's ashes!"

Sakura's jaw dropped before letting it go with a scoff, "that is ridiculous! It's either you burned him or someone killed him, but if that did happen, why would the killer store his ashes in the— Naruto?"

"Ch-chakra! Use your chakra to—"

She moved forward

"_Don't_," barked Naruto, biting into his knuckle, "_move_"

She raised her brow then took a step forth

"Don't move I said!!" Naruto raised a hand, gesturing her to stop

She cocked her head back and took a cautious step forth

"Sakura, listen. Listen to me, Sakura!"

She did...

"Whatever you do, _don't come __**near**__ me_"

... okay never mind.

"Sa-Sakura! Haruno Sakura. Stay. _Sakura?!_" he stumbled on his foot, back pressed on a hindrance behind him. Great, a wall. _Damnit!_

She rolled her eyes and continued walking forth

"Don't come any closer!" whimpered Naruto, kicking back, in a stupid hope to push the wall along.

"SAKURA?! STAY. THERE. Sakura—_Stay there! ST-STAY AWAY FROM ME, DAMMIT!_"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Naruto fell to a crouch, sitting on his heels, hugging his knees while burying his head in the fold of his arms. Sakura sighed, gently positioned the painting next to him, and squatted in front of him. She placed a comforting hand on his back, the hand that did not hold the ink jar.

"Tell me, what _happened_ to you?" she asked him with secured comfort. Surely, he encountered something that would make him go this _insane_

Looking up at her Naruto's voice fell in a quiet whisper, "Sakura... Yoburo... he's a—a _ghost_. He's a goddamned _ghost_!"

She sighed, shaking her head, pitying him, he was like a scared child, "that's _impossible_. How can a ghost find a way to talk to you?"

Raising and lowering both shoulder, his face held still, brightening in sudden acknowledgement, "the ashes! Through the ashes, his spirit is _connected_ to the Earth through his ashes and he managed to talk to us through his_ ashes_! In that..._urn_... his _ashes_ are in there..." his eyes wide and still bore heavily down into Sakura's, "_He's_ in _there_"

Sakura sighed, "So what you're trying to tell me, is that…" she lifted the ink jar, "he's in _here_?"

With an 'eep!' from Naruto, he collapsed.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: Lolz, I'm having so much fun writing this story! Sorry about **_**From The Ashes**_** (AKA FTA), still don't know what to write for the next chap. Other than that, leave your reviews! Alertees, Favoritees, please feel super free to Review! Seriously, please do.**

**Loved this installment? Hate it? Noticed something a little off? Please review!!**


	9. With its Witty Procrastination

"Hey, Naruto! Though you didn't say hi to Yoburo for me, I'm glad you met him!" grinned Jiraiya

Naruto blinked... and then it all came back to him. His face contorted to a scowl, "you said that he'll solve the scroll, that _he_ can read it all and just tell me what it says! But _nooo_, instead he tells me that this scroll is my dad's Death Wishlist—"

"Death wish, slash wish list, man that's a mouthful—"

"Whatever—"

"Hold on, Naruto. I didn't exactly tell you that..." the man sighed when Naruto's face darkened, "if you want, I'll repeat what I told you, I said I wanted you to visit a friend in the Earth Country, said he's a _very_ wise man and a great drinking buddy of mine. I _know_ he can enlighten you with _some_ of his knowledge, _but will only do so if you give him what he wants_. Since he loves riddles, he'll _just be hinting you in,_ and once you solve it and things goes your way, everything else will just fall out as easy as that. Just like I said"

Naruto rolled his eyes and turned his back on him

"Naruto, he _did_ enlighten you with some of his knowledge, he did give you riddles to hint you in. You solved it as easy as counting your ABCs—"

"_Singing_ your ABCs," corrected Naruto with a huff

"Whatever, at least you now know where to go right? Everything will go smoothly from there on" assured Jiraiya, sincerity clear in his voice.

Naruto gave in, and turned around, "Yeah... well thanks..."

"I'll be seeing you around, kid" smiled Jiraiya

Curious, Naruto asked, "wait, aren't you supposed to be dead? Why are you always visiting me in my sleep? I'm dreaming aren't I?"

"Well—"

"Are you gonna visit me again? Are you in heaven now? Have you seen Kami-sama, yet?"

"I said—"

"Wait! What about my dad? Have you seen my dad yet?"

"Naruto..."

"Can you tell him I said hi? Same goes for my mother, too, okay? Oh and—"

"I said, _I'll be seeing you around, _Naruto"

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There's a saying that some things that are meant to be kept secret, and that phrase, though overused and very cliché, is meant to be repeated for a very, _very_ good reason. But then, there are those who are too stubborn to allow the unknown to remain unspoken. And so they go against the law.

Then there came the saying that curiosity killed the cat, a little saying to warn those who are stubborn. Apparently, it wasn't only the cat that died, but those who followed the ways of the cat. And when they survived that, they were given the title, _bull-headed_. It was either because their heads were too strong to be malleable, or maybe it was because they were just too foolish enough to just head on, never knowing when or what their limit is.

Well, thankfully enough, if it weren't for the bull-headed people with the incredulous curiosity of a cat, some things today would have just remained unexplained.

In my opinion, I think I'm among those curios cats and bull-headed people, and I'm quite glad that I am—no offense to those who opposes—because, if you ever come across those people who are too narrow minded to take in anything to absorb all explanations and reasonings in the world, the Earth would have been a much, _much_ darker and a much more foolish place to live in. Well, for those who _are_ narrow-minded, I really can't change them, since they are who are. But that's besides the point here. The main reason as to why I'm sharing this with all those fellow readers out there, is because we will be listening in to a very, _very_ interesting conversation that began with...

"Keep that _thing_ away from me!"

That continued to...

"Oh don't be ridiculous!"

That happened to steer to a...

"Woman, if you don't listen to me right now I'm gonna—"

Which developed to a...

_**WHAM!**_

Well, if you ever managed to read the previous chapter, you'd understand who these two are and what the hell they were talking about. With enough information back there, our story shall...

**Start**

Naruto had a slab of raw meat stuck to the left half of his face in hopes of speeding up the process of healing it. The enemy within him now became his therapist. The woman he once adored now became a living nightmare of a banshee. Sitting on the edge of the bed was where he sulked with a scowl on his face that threatened to become a part of him.

Emerging from the bathroom with a towel-turban on her head, Sakura sniffed when she caught Naruto's glare and bent down to furiously rub her hair dry before flipping her hair back with a reinforced _sniff_. She went back to the bathroom, snatched the urn by the sink, marched her way to the room's coatrack, and began fumbling Naruto's jacket.

"What, in the name of all things holy, are you doing?" castigated Naruto

Sakura spared him a penetrating glare before focusing on searching for something in his jacket again, until she grumbled, "don't you have _anything_ that can keep _this_ safe?"

Naruto scrambled out of bed but stood helpless, pointing an accusing finger at Sakura he responded harshly, "don't you have any _respect_ for another's belongings?"

"_Respect?_" scoffed Sakura. Planting her free hand on her hip, she turned to face him. Naruto's rigid arm fell limp to his sighed as he swallowed visibly. She narrowed her eyes, fury threatening to breech the fortified walls of her patience, she hissed, "_Respect?_ How _dare_ you even _mention_ a word you _obviously_ don't know of! How _dare _you use that _word_ against me, when in fact, _you_ should be looking it up in the _dictionary_!"

Naruto opened his mouth ready to remonstrate, but words tangled themselves in a congested lump in his throat, leaving his mouth dry, and lips reiterating unspoken words. Sakura raised a brow, ready to retaliate whatever he had to say next. Then he puerilely folded his arms across his chest, scoffing as he turned his head away, indignantly speaking, "I _know_ what the word _respect_ means!"

"_Good!_" barked Sakura, "well, then you know what it means to pay _respect_ to the dead!"

"Exactly!" gasped Naruto, rather exasperated. Building a firm eye contact with Sakura, he continued, desperately delivering a message to her "he's dead! _Dead_, Sakura! His _ghost_ is _haunting_ me!"

Naruto's chest heaved as he looked searchingly in Sakura's eyes. Her mouth shut tight in a thin line then collected herself; she drew a deep, shaky breath and spoke with closed eyes, "so what you're trying to tell me is that you are Phasmophobic"

"Yes" said Naruto after a moment's pause, "as a matter of fact I am." Then he blinked, "what does—"

"Phasmophobic means you are afraid of ghosts—"

"_AM NOT!!_" objected Naruto, throwing his hands down and stomping his foot forth.

Instead of arguing with him, Sakura found herself looking at Naruto. Realize that he was just a twelve-year-old stuck in a sixteen-year-old body.

"I happen to have grown out of that stage" added Naruto, folding his arms in content, thinking that he won the debate

Correction: A ten-year-old stuck in that body

"Besides, who's _stupid_ enough to believe in ghosts" continued Naruto as he climbed back on bed

Sakura tightened her lips to prevent that smile to escape. _Major_ Correction: a six-year-old stuck in that body of his. With a sigh, she set the urn on top of the dresser next to the bed. Immediately, Naruto scurried to the other side of the bed, pressing his back against the cool, concrete wall. She shook her head and slid beneath the blankets, shutting the lamp off and turned to her side; her back facing him.

"Naruto, can you get the curtains?" asked Sakura

"...no" answered Naruto, she heard him shuffle about, perhaps trying to get under the blankets

With a sigh, "fine, I guess Yoburo-sama will have to do it himself"

With a short yelp, the sound of curtains clinking shut echoed in the room before the broad moonlight disappeared into the darkness. Sakura giggled quietly to herself

"That was _not _funny, Sakura! I nearly had a heart at—I mean, yeah, the first thing you'll see is a dead man in front of you Sakura, _Oooooh scaaaary!_" added Naruto, in feeble attempts to frighten the kunoichi

"Naruto, he's right behind you"

"GAAHHH!!"

Sakura snickered, "good night, Naruto."

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Waking from a dreamless slumber, Sakura stretched with her eyes shut, yawning as her body turned. Finally opening her eyes, she saw a distorted face of an old man. Pupils missing from their orbs, a severely thickened eyeshadow outlined his eyes; crevice upon crevice burying the features in the crumpled crust of pallor. The face of a _dead old man_ was right in front of her, but before Sakura scream her brains out, remnants from last night flooded her long before she switched to panic mode.

Quickly she threw in the demeanor of an outspoken, frozen contortion of ghastly fear. Crawling back with bulging eyes and a mouth stretched wide open.

"_That's riiiight, Sakuraaa. Fear the ghost of dead maaan Yoburo!!_" said Naruto with a monotous voice that he assumed what a scary evil spirit would sound like

"Na-Naruto! _Behind you!!_" squealed Sakura, feigning fear

Naruto squealed a pitch that challenged Sakura's shrillness, with a poof, his henge dropped and the next thing she knew she felt a tight grasp in almost everywhere in her body, squeezing the life out of her, stopping her blood circulation and constricting her to the point of breathlessness, but yet, she couldn't help but shriek out in laughter.

Almost automatically, the full body grip on her loosened. Sakura was laughing still, tears tumbling out of the corners of her eyes as her face no longer grew red from a halted blood flow, but out of sheer hilarity, "You should have seen the look on your _face!_" gasped Sakura

Naruto glared at her, "that wasn't very funny, Sakura. Not _funny_ at all"

Sakura's laughter died down to softened chuckles and then held her breath at the way the sunlight bounced off his face and his hair. He seemed as if he was glowing, yes, _glowing_—and even if he was glow_ering_ at Sakura it made her stomach churn to see the humorless façade he put on, it was the exact stern visage he'd give whenever the situation was nearly tipping the scales of death.

In all her life, whenever she saw him with that kind of serious demeanor, she will truly admit that her stomach would churn, brewing a foreign antidote that injected a fluttery feeling through her veins that concocted a potion that made her heart run on an irregular beat and her face flush in impossible heat.

She gulped, considering that their position was too close for comfort. She dared not breathe, allowing his breath to cool her cheeks. Paying closely as to how unorthodox their position was, he was hovering over her, palms placed on either side of her head, both knees parting her innocently apart. And the way he looked at her now... those damned blue eyes weighing heavily into hers... just... was just...

Then he leaned in...

This was it...

Then she lifted her head up...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"That wasn't very funny, Sakura. Not _funny_ at all"

This was exactly the _reason_ why he can't trust her. She just doesn't take him seriously, next, she makes fun of his... _issues._ Third, she _doesn't_ respect him. And last, she just can't seem to _understand_ him. Screw the saying men are from mars and women, from venus. They were all still humans, of the same species, wasn't that enough to get into her league, to get into that society were sophisticated beings belonged to?

Were they looking for someone intelligent? Well, he can't exactly say that he's a genius that Shikamaru is, but so is Sakura. He wasn't stupid, he was just _as _smart as she can possibly be!

Were they looking for someone capable? He _was_ capable of things that needed to be carried out with the exact same performance. He can defend himself, kick some evil maniac ass. He can solve puzzles... if given enough time. As a matter of fact, he can solve the riddle Yoburo gave them without Sakura's help

Were they looking for someone logical? He was logical. He is logical. He sure is still logical enough to realize that one shouldn't make fun of another's... _issue. _Heck, the woman under him... beneath him... surely... is... quite illogical right now... the woman... that one right under him... beneath him...

He swallowed, forgetting all the anger he even held against her. How can one stay mad at someone... so beautiful? It seemed as she was meant to be bathed beneath the first rays of the morning. The light that played on her flawless skin made her look far more radiant than she already was. That stunning pink glow was far more enchanting and real than any genjutsu one can conjure, and her eyes... those dramatic green eyes that held so much emotion...

It's just... she's just... this is just... Screw it all, at this rate he shouldn't even be able to think at all...

Letting go of his conscience, shutting down that calculative mind, letting self-control slip past his fingers. For once... just for once, he wants to return to that _old_ Naruto who did whatever he wanted cause he suddenly felt like it. Who did the impossible because his body was just itching to do so. He was tired of thinking, thinking about his mentor, his father, his mother, the damned scroll and some heritage he hadn't entirely, truly received.

He just wanted to close his mind, if not for a week, then just for a day.

He let gravity take its achingly slow pace as he lowered himself

If not for a day, then just for a second...

He saw her response, slightly lifting her head up

If not for a second... then heck, for a fleeting moment...

And then they were just an inch away

If not for a fleeting moment... why not now?

"_PERVERT!!"_ And just then, the memory of what happened yesterday morning just greeted him like a sack of brings over the head. Immediately, almost so simply, he resisted. He held still, slowly hoisting his head back when she inched in closer, he watched the mechanics of her body; closing her eyes, cheeks flushing redder, lips puckering, neck stretching, just to reach him.

An amused smirk crept to his lips as he watched her begin to slightly twitch her lips, her neck straining from the elongated length. Then finally, she shot her eyes open, rather flushed and aggravated

"What the heck are you waiting for?!" she demanded hotly

Naruto cracked a shit-faced grin, "that"

Sakura dropped her head back on the pillows and furrowed her brows, "what the hell are you talking about?"

His grin just happened to threaten to split his face in half, "it's called _revenge_, baby"

Sakura's response? Well... the usual

_**WHAM!!**_

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Two layers of frozen meat stuck on Naruto's face, thanks to chakra, he didn't have to look stupider by tying them with some kind of rope. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, everything else that they got from Yoburo's shop such as the painting, the parcel and the urn, all sealed away. Of course, if I had to mention that they argued over that sealing, with Naruto still being a whining jackass and Sakura being a petulant bitch herself over such argument.

She finally deigned herself to Naruto's level and opted for a softer approach, thus healing his blackened eye, which happened to be the left—her personal favorite—only to reduce the mark and the swelling but not the pain, and almost managed to bargain having her things sealed away as well.

After paying a hefty price for their extended stay, and restocking Naruto's supply just enough to please Sakura, their journey back to the Land of the Wind was fairly peaceful and uncomfortably quiet. But if that meant less-fists-on-left-eye, then you won't hear Naruto complaining. The once fertile soil that grew promising vegetation faded away, leaving an abstract sahara in their wake, the once pleasant shade that young trees provided were stripped off from the terrain.

They were, indeed, entering the _frying pan _region of the world, as Naruto had professionally described it. Unfortunately, for him, the frozen meat was beginning to melt and it stank right on his face. But that wouldn't compare to this: the change in weather afftected Sakura's mood, either that or she was PMSing at definitely the wrong time in Naruto's life, for she had unwantedly harped back on Naruto, blaming him, arguing him for anything he said and didn't say.

He was at loss, really, not understanding what she wants out of her constant bickering.

Little did he know that Sakura was entirely aggravated that he just ruined her only moment to kiss him.

But what she didn't know what that Naruto was entirely confused. When he woke up, nearly kissing Sakura, he received a punch. When he let his clone please Sakura, he just underwent of what a nightmarish castration would feel like. When he tried to avoid another punch from Sakura that morning, he still got it anyway.

If Naruto hadn't been too deep in thought, he would have noticed that the Hidden Village of Sand was just jutting out of the horizon, its conspicuous walls reflecting the glaring sun's harsh light.

"Well, Naruto, at least, we're on the right track now" sighed Sakura

If Naruto hadn't just listened to her at that moment, he would have realized that he should have continued the kiss and finish what he started that morning, and then he wouldn't have gotten that punch again.

"Are you ready, Naruto?" asked Sakura, "we're just one step closer to solving it!"

If Naruto hadn't let his fatigue take over him and let his body move in on autopilot, he would have noticed that Sakura was holding him now by the hand, slipping her fingers through his, like a love-deranged couple would.

Well, if Naruto just accepted all the obvious truth in the world, he would have just realized that Sakura was, indeed, falling hard on him, too. And that alone was enough to grant her his trust, and probably vice-versa... right?

...

Right?!

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"How have you been?" asked Gaara with a pleasant voice to compensate his stoic demeanor

Naruto grinned, and grinned for Gaara, "yo, listen up..." that happened to be his introduction to his out-of-this-world story and then explained everything to the very point where they reached Suna, excluding the attempted kisses, uncalled for clone-castration, unwanted punches and the it-never-happened moments that revolved around a dead-man's ashes and so on.

It was an impromptu explanation that Sakura silently accepted and inwardly thanked Naruto for that.

Gaara didn't flinch, instead he stayed composed in his Kazekage seat, behind his Kazekage desk that piled with papers for the Kazekage, watching the Leaf duo in his Kagekage office. The redhead was prepared for anything to pop into his sight and rattle his world silly into accepting the fact that _yes_; he _is_ the Kazekage, who is willing to exchange his life for his village...

…

Yeah... he was ready for that...

…

And yes, he will have to admit that Naruto _is_ his _friend_...

...

But no, he won't entirely admit that he doesn't believe that whole crap this deranged blonde Leaf nin told him. Gaara will have to set his brain into a restart mode to keep it from breaking down and going insane, he had paperworks to do that, he would actually mind if Naruto, his friend, took that obligation out of those lifeless sheets of paper... or better yet that pile of shit of paper.

The moment, he forcefully digested the information Naruto shared with him, Gaara blinked back in response, drew back from his chair and untangled entwined fingers.

"You don't believe me do you?" asked Naruto, anticipating the obvious

Gaara stared back at him, swallowed the honesty back into his mouth, but before it reached past his esophagus, he gagged it out, "I don't." Of course, all those hysteric reaction never breeched Gaara's fortified façade, his imperturbable façade made sure of that.

"Well," sighed Naruto, "do you at least know this?"

Gaara watched the blonde take a step back, removed a hand-sized scroll from his jacket, bit into his thumb and smeared the blood on the parchment as he unravelled it. With a poof of smoke and a hefty cloud of dust, Naruto pulled out a foot-long painting and heavily set it on Gaara's desk with a _thud_.

The Kazekage ignored the fact that some paperwork went flying out and about in his room, and ogled the painting before him. It was a portrait of a man's shadow wielding two foreign weapons...

Naruto watched the redhead, waiting for a response. Hopeful that he should, at least, be familiar with the whole painting itself. And as if on cue, the Kazekage drew back and averted his gaze to Naruto.

"The infamous painting..." mumbled Gaara in an audibly low voice

Naruto smirked, at least now, Gaara will have to believe; it was his only choice if he didn't want to lose his mind. When the mantle of hush never subsided, Sakura cleared her throat, wordlessly reminding Naruto to get to the point. With a nod, he asked Gaara, "Now do you believe me?"

Tearing his attention from the painting, he turned to the blonde and asked, "so what are you looking for in Suna?"

Sealing the painting away with a poof of a smoke, Naruto turned to Gaara, all the humour in his voice gone, "well, Gaara, before I can _actually find_ what I'm looking for... it's gonna start out like this..."

_**To Be Continued...**_

**(Please check my Profile Page out to see my latest drawing, entitled Forbidden Heritage!)**

**A/N: ****Lolz, I guess I'll call that Cliffy! The annoying line that makes everyone go mad! Heh, moving on...**

**Okay, another prelude to the story, just procrastinating here and there. Hey, the two still deserved a moment right? So why not use Naruto's weakness as an advantage... I just hate him for resisting that kiss... perhaps if I hadn't made it too Naruto-ish... WTF?! What am I talking about?! I'm the author, I could've changed it...**

**But, oh well, if I changed it, they would have been behind schedule, heh (Winks)**

**So Review!!**

**AUTHOR'S RESPONSE **_**(AKA **__**A/R**__**)**_**:**

**show.me.the.stars: **Lolz, that's actually what Naruto is thinking of! But, yeah, Yoburo's supposed to be a dead man, haunting Naruto to help him... why? That'll be reviewed in future chappies!

**just.readingone**: As a matter of fact, somewhere in the future, I will have Naruto and Sakura pit together in a very sticky situation to have him trust her! Lolz, okay... if you read underneath the underneath of what I just said, perhaps you'll get the picture (winks)

**maxslayer10:** Lolz, if I wasn't mistaken, there was an episode in the season One of Naruto where he has to go on a mission in a haunted village with Neji or something. Then they came across with a ghost-samurai, which in the end, Neji tells Naruto that they had been facing against a ghost. I simply loved Naruto's reaction and decided to use it on this one, heh.

**General: **Thank you once again for reading my fic! There will be more to come, I can assure you all that. However, dear readers please do not be shy to leave a review, same goes for Alertees and Reviewees. Dear Reviewers, thank you all! And if you catch something a little off in this story, please feel free to ask away!

**XxXClose FormXxX**


	10. Stars For The Kazekage's Compound

**Start**

Naruto finally managed to have a shield against Sakura. That way, he won't be distracted and finally bring an end to this infinite chase of nothingness. After successfully coaxing Gaara into conjuring sand clones to carry out his task, the redhead brought the Leaf nins to his compound where they will experience the most secured privacy.

The building was grand, elegant and regal. Sand hedges manifested the compound's vast land, possible equalling to the size of a small forest—in Naruto's opinion to which Sakura immediately argued that he was exaggerating, and he really was, though the buildings seemed short and stout, it was a matter of how far it stretched out through the land that made up for it. The interior design though conservative was simply elegant and brought out the accent of Suna.

An immense rug adorned with exotic stitching of red, brown and yellow thread masked the bareness of the granite floor. Mahogany furniture reinforced the serenity the house imbued and the high vaulted ceiling seemed to deny the stout façade in the house's exterior.

Gaara led them to the living room where a beige set of couches formed a crescent moon, surrounding a low coffee table—to which Naruto commented, seemed like a traditional low-dining table, and as the blonde added, "now all we need are futon cushions to sit on!"

A little something, that dared Sakura to punch him, but couldn't, which honestly intrigued Naruto, for he kind of anticipated that.

Somehow, his house seemed bright, and if only Naruto took the time to look around and search windows, he would pressumably figure out the source of said light. Unlike outside, there was a cool air blowing in Gaara's house everynow and then, cancelling out the lethargic effect the lazy afternoon bore down on everyone.

When the Kazekage returned to the living room with a tray of teacups and a teapot, and exchange another small round of small talk, Naruto decided that it was time to get down to business. Sharing the small riddle they received from a _dear friend_ as Naruto insists, Sakura began explaining the supposed meaning.

_From a medium's word, you'll have the key  
With untouched blood the mortal will see  
Beneath golden sand, there hides she  
A favor to seek her half from thee_

Gaara studied the Leaf nins with searching eyes, slightly interested with the _untouched blood _part. He lifted the teacup to his mouth and drank in his smirk through closed eyes. Naruto and Sakura nervously did the same, excluding the smirk, which they never really saw.

"So you guys are still virgins?"

Naruto smirked to that, letting his blush prove his innocence. He took it well, admitting it through gracious manners. Sakura, on the other hand, was violently taking in the fact that, yes, she was also one, through a vehement choke from her tea and a nasty scald to her tongue. Her coughing and sputtering echoed distinctively in his house seeing to it that the place was naturally quiet.

When Sakura's animated fit finally ebbed away, she demanded for Gaara to reason out the fact that he brought up such subject.

"Well, the riddle always mentions a _she,_" explained the Kazekage, "from the way I understand it... you two will happen to go in the middle of nowhere in Suna, hide in a small cave and get down and dir—"

"_SHUT IT!!_" interrupted Sakura, bringing a hand up to halt him.

Before we move on to anything else, a little explanation of the seating arrangement may be necessary. Gaara occupied the largest couch, the middle of three. Sakura took the one on Gaara's left hand side, leaving her to face Naruto, meaning that he was settling on Gaara's right hand side. Now, noticing the exceptional room each couch provided, it was honestly awkward to be scattered about in the living room, when there were only three of them...

Now that's over with, we'll be moving on...

Gaara remained impassive, though his smirk cannot conceal the growing amusement in his eyes. Naruto did just the same, though with a more defined delight tinting in his red cheeks. Both males waiting for her defense.

"What makes you think that?!"

"Well, you just said that the second line to the riddle has something to do with being a virgin. From there on, why would a female hide _under_ the Sand and ask a _favor_ from _Naruto_ to _seek her other half_?"

Sakura swallowed, finally understanding what he was insinuating

"What would her other half be if it were not for the male who _filled in that part?_"

With Gaara's innuendo never leaving unnoticed, Sakura had gone a beet red, scorching her cheeks a darker hue that utterly contrasted the color of her long tresses. Smirking in victory, Gaara turned to Naruto, raised his glass for an unnannounced toast, and drank in his tea before pouring in some more.

Naruto, noticing the redhead's gesture let out a nervous laugh and drank down his tea, ignoring that fact that the drink burned his mouth and forced tears to spring out his eyes.

The rest of the afternoon seemed awkward after that, but Gaara remained smirking to himself, rather happy for Naruto for what his future lies. With that, enough to entertain him for the day and deciding that they should dwell under his roof during their stay in Suna, it was time he'd resume back to work and embrace the stability of the paperwork's monotonous process.

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Naruto dove into his mattress of soft sheets and cushions, burying his head beneath downy pillows on top of a smooth blanket. He sighed. At last, a room for his own. He breathed into the lilac scented pillowcases until they suffocated him, lazily rolling unto his back; he clasped his hands behind his head and sighed once more. He no longer had to share a room with that crazy woman; he was glad Gaara lived in some kind of a mansion, he really was.

After relishing the thought of set boundaries, he decided to go for a long bath in the guest's toilet, which was just down the hall, a room to his left. Quickly getting a clean set of clothes and a towel he sealed away, he walked down the hall with his clothes still on and entered the said room. The toilet was unexpectedly spacious and rather elegant, matching the rest of the house. A showertub on the left side of the wall, the loo and the sink on the opposing side and right across him was the jacuzzi Gaara had mentioned.

Naruto grinned, wondering if he could relax in the jacuzzi... in the nude. Then shoved that thought out of his mind before walking over to the showertub to get the tap running at a warm temperature. Cascading water that hurriedly filled the tub stridently echoed throughout the toilet, Naruto winced at that, somehow conscious if the noise was stretching out into the far corners of Gaara's peaceful home.

Segregating his clean clothes away from his new set, he wrapped his towel around his waist, sitting on the edge of the tub as he watched the water level rise crawl towards the rim. The moment the tub was full; he slid out of his towel and sank in with a pleased sigh. Water spilled when he reached for the soap and hissed out his curse when he realized that he left his toiletry in his room where his jacket lay.

Grabbing his towel and dirty clothes he reentered his room, sealing dirty clothes in the appropriate scroll in his jacket and summoned forth his toiletries with a poof of smoke...

"Ramen?" repeated Naruto with disappointment before sealing it away, he resumed his attempt and got, "Oh! I brought my sleeping bag!"

But it wasn't what he was looking for, laying his jacket out on the floor, he repeated once more, "a brush..." growing slightly aggravated, Naruto began sealing and unsealing every tag and scroll he found until he nearly tipped the scales of insanity, bellowing "_WHERE IS IT?!_"

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Sakura sank beneath the silky sheets and downy cushions of her queensized bed, the room Gaara lent to her, was located right in front of Naruto's door. She stretched her limbs far and reached out for the edges but couldn't. Then she tossed and turned, giggling at the newfound space.

She sighed, grabbing a fluffy pillow and sniffing the detergent's scent: lilac. She grinned widely; at least now, she didn't have to smell the drool-stenched pillows Naruto drowned into. She shuddered at the thought, suddenly feeling the revolting effect take a toll on her skin before deciding that she'd better take a bath.

She grabbed a guest's towel and a robe from the cabinet in her room before marching down the nearby guest toilet clad in nothing but a white robe. The moment she entered a cloud of mist settled into her sight, the warmth layering her face with a growing mixture of water and sweat. Using faint chakra to clear the toilet, she strode over to the tub and slightly nodded to see it full.

She entered the tub after removing her robe and hung it on the built-in coatrack on the door, along with her towel. It had been a quite while since she had a bath. Unlike the inn's sordid and dilapidated toilet, Gaara's toilets were hygenic and elegant, the enough characteristics to allow herself to bathe like so. She sighed, deciding to scrub herself clean later and just enjoyed the feel of warm water smothering her worn body; she tilted her head back on to one edge of the tub and closed her eyes. The moment sleep drifted into her, her chakra had faded, allowing a blanket of mist to cloak the toilet.

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Several minutes later...

"Aha!" exclaimed Naruto, victoriously. To lazy to clean up after his mess, he opted to do that after his bath. Readjusting the towel around his waist, he headed into the bathroom. A cloud of mist poured out of the toilet, greeting him as he fanned his face in front of him. He carefully strode over to the tub and began pouring bubble soap on it.

He sank in on the opposite edge, sitting with his knees near his chest. He drew out a loofa and began scrubbing his body. Then he moved on to his legs, lifting one then setting it down, stretching it before moving to the—

He jerked his leg back.

Naruto blinked, wondering what it was that his foot felt. It seemed... slippery. Carefully, he stretched his leg out again... and this time felt some sort of thread tangling his toes. He drew back carefully...

He swallowed. The bathroom was heavy with water vapor making it difficult to see, he began regretting the day he refused to learn the mist-dispelling technique Jiraiya tried to teach him, but it was his loss now. Relying on his sense of touch, he decided to gather all the information he had. What was slippery and had thread...? And why would it be under the tub?

He slightly tilted his head to the side and stretched his leg... farther this time. He felt it again, slippery... he lowered his foot, toes felt those thread slightly tangle in between them. He wiggled his toes slighty and felt some sort of bump within it before his heel felt slippery walls close in on his foot. He drew back and cowered to the edge of the tub, back harshly pressed on its walls

Swallowing, he dared to investigate what was with him in the bathtub. As he drew closer a knoll of frothy bubbles stood, he drew in a careful breath and blew on it... until he saw something pink... and facial features—

"Sakura?!" gasped Naruto, the information greeted him like a donkey-kick to the head and it froze his body. His mind blanked-out.

Upon hearing her name, Sakura lazily lifted her eyelids catching side of a yellow blur before they drooped close...

The kunoichi's lids slowly lifted to show hazy green eyes, then lower... it wasn't long before it shot wide open and her cheeks scorched red. She froze.

Naruto blinked and swallowed carefully, with the tension in the air this thick, the chances of a gargantuan bloodbath was possible. He never backed away, she didn't move an inch. Green eyes upon blue was what worried Naruto, for once, those emotional gaze had turned into something he couldn't fathom—he feared that.

He wanted to say something, something that could get him out of this _safely_ if possible, but when he did, words did not function in his brain, thus failed to form in his mouth. Instead, it fell slightly ajar, lips parting and closing again... especially when she raised a hand.

He shut his eyes and just braced himself...

He waited...

!!

For the blow...?

Since when were blows gentle? Since when were they soft... more importantly... since when where they focused on his _lips_?

Prying his eyes wide open, there was a... erm... pink blur, some of it close enough to tickle his cheeks, he looked around and saw... dark lashes of pink... what? His eyes failed to ameliorate the situation; so instead, he relied on his touch and reached his hands out.

His hands blindly found a brae of flesh and his ears picked the sound of a soft mewl, which vibrated on his lips. A foreign shudder ran through his veins when he felt something slick trace his bottom lip, letting reflex take over, his lips parted and something warm and moist began roaming in his orifice.

Naruto had an idea what was happening... but couldn't believe it... _at all_. It was... like... like a dream come true... and this... tongue on tongue exploit pervaded a dubious belief towards the present situation, scattering his mind into the far corners of his body—then elicited a moan from his very throat at the feel of Sakura's silken skin on top of his; a sudden rush to his manhood came next when her fleshy brae nestled on top of his chest... and it was all too much for him to handle.

The gentle sensation focused on his orificed relentlessly coaxed him to let his body take over and shut down his mind, the innocent touches nestling on top of his body prevented Naruto from thinking straight. But the very idea that it was Sakura doing this to him kept his mind intact; he was still trying to absorb the current situation. Whatever happened to her usual reaction, the usual outcome, and all the other things that resulted to their monotonous, yet untiring antics that kept their chemistry going?

Perhaps... perhaps this was the answer to that equation... perhaps, this was the fruit of their labor. Was he supposed to give in? There didn't seem to be an opening to throw in another prank at Sakura, and if he ever did that, he wouldn't be the only one getting hurt, but Sakura, too, and it didn't necessarily have to mean physical, but the deep, irreparable gash to her heart.

He couldn't possibly give in now... though he entirely wished it so, thus began forming countless reasons as to why he can't, which he retaliated to in succession, there was essentially no consequences to the outcome of their actions, no reason to hold back. He let her kiss him and he remained unscathed, perhaps this was what she had been searching for in him and him, from her.

If he ever gave in to this promising invitation their bonds will strengthen, since it was both going to be their first time... and handing over their virginity to the other will—

_With untouched blood the mortal will see  
__**"So you guys are still virgins?"**_

With Gaara's voice echoing in his head, he sighed. And just like that, Naruto begrudgingly tore away from Sakura's enchanting kisses, inwardly berating himself when she whimpered in protest. She carried on to leaving butterfly kisses on his neck, then chest and began suckling them, he bit his lip and forced himself to sit upright, gathering all of his self control to push her gently away from him.

"No..." she gasped, holding his hands and kissing him there, such reaction boggled Naruto's mind... it seemed as if she was willing to give in to Naruto. But what of Sasuke?

"Why..." she half-whispered, half-whined, arousing Naruto with the very tone and the very fact that she was leading his hands to cup her breasts... oh dear... oh deary, dear dear...

Swallowing hard and averting his eyes, he recited, "With untouched blood the mortal will see. We have to remain virgins until then Sakura. Virgins... until we finish this damned thing"

Sakura paused and gaped at him, though he wasn't looking at her, he felt the weight of her eyes on him, and it made him uncomfortable. She can punch him if she wants, after all, he seemed to be acting like a jerk if he should say so himself. He _wanted_ it so _badly_, but _couldn't_ for that kamiforsaken heritage he had to strive for.

With the sound of water sloshing to Sakura's shrug, he had to gulp at her endeavors. She threw her arms around his neck, tracing his earlobe with her tongue before suckling it, making him grow hard. She breathed into his ear before whispering, "yeah... until we finish _this_ damned thing..."

"Sakura" said Naruto, voice surprisingly stern for his liking—which actually made him proud, "you have to understand what my priorities are, and if you do, I truly wish that you respect them. I'd love to do this with you if there weren't any reasons not to, but unfortunately we have a reason why we can't"

Sakura stopped her ministrations and gently lowered her head on the crook of his neck. She did straddle him, her womanhood just facing his manhood... she can just sit on him and ride him hysterically from here on out... but Naruto... that _fucking_ Naruto did have a great _fucking_ point... and no matter how much... she really, _really_ wanted this... had to tear away.

They stayed like that for a while, until she felt something jab rudely on her stomach. She sighed, playfully licked a sensitive area on his neck—heard him gasp— then tore away from him, walking over to collect her robe and head for her room, all done without looking back. She feared that if she did, she would never had exited that bathroom alone, thus upsetting Naruto in the aftermath.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sakura left him alone in the tub, wanting more and left unsatisfied... it took him another minute to realize that, and another to trick himself into believing that nothing happened a while ago. That it was just all another sick dream of his about her... but it wasn't, since his dreams were accompanied by release and pleasure, both of which failed to occur.

He had to hold on to the fact that he should remain like that for the time being... he sighed, tilting his head back with eyes closed. He _must_ stay like that and remain untouched...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first thing Naruto did when he finished his bath, was to summon forth the items Yoburo gave him. His painting, the brown parcel and—with countless minutes of mustering courage or lying to himself that it was just black powder—the urn, he sat down in a clean corner of his room, clad in the bathrobe and a turban-towel on his head. Placing the said object in front of him, he summoned forth the scroll and studied them.

He didn't exactly know what to expect from these four objects, but from Yoburo, he knew that he was on a mission to search for some legendary weapon that his father kept track of... or something like that. He racked his brains and forced it to override information, hoping that within a split second an equation will form in his head to solve his problem.

_"Mind you, that parcel is for you to open when you get back to your inn..."_

With Yoburo's voice echoing in his head out of nowhere, he suddenly remembered and reached out for the parcel. It was the object the old man expected him to open back in the Earth Country, but forgot in the end. Well, it was better late than never, right?

With careful fingers, he untied the rope and found a beige sleeveless trenchcoat that pressumably reached halfway down his shins. There was a black, sleeveless turtle necked shirt, and then some sort of black baggy pants that proved itself highly comfortable when he tried them on. He examined himself and smirked at his guise, slightly frowning when he realized a pale patch of skin on his upperarm, near the shoulders.

With a sigh, he removed the trenchcoat and began transferring all his summoning tags into places he deemed convenient. It was a long process, seeing to it that he also had to seal away the things he summoned out and thus, resorted to summoning clones to help him with the sorting.

Just as he was on the last bit of sealing away his dirty clothes and dismissing his clones, he found a folded piece of paper in one of its hidden pockets and unravelled it. It was a symbol, identical to the one on his navel. Archaic characters the scroll contained could also be found on that small piece of paper. When he squinted his eyes, he read miniscule writings bordering the edges of the paper that said;

Hide beneath the bloody moon,  
Get lost in the desert  
Where you will find the boon  
Dream is where you will assert

Naruto had to frown again when he read another riddle. But all the more was thankful for it, assuming that it would help him in his search for... whatever he was expected to be searching for. Three abrupt knocks on the door was all it took for Naruto to awaken into the realities of the world.

"Come in" called Naruto, "oh, Gaara, what is it?"

The redhead merely arched his brow in response as he glanced at Naruto's apparels. Naruto, on the otherhand, mistook that scrutiny for something else and timidly hid behind his door. Gaara gave him a stern look eye and muttered

"I'm a heterosexual, you idiot. I was just mildly surprised at your new taste in clothing. Where's the orange?"

Naruto relieved a nervous laugh, shamefully scratching the back of his head as he stepped out of his room, "this was a gift from a friend... anyways, what is it?"

"Dinner's ready" muttered Gaara, "you eating or what?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dinner was delicious, but Naruto was too distracted to realize that. Instead focus on what the riddle could possibly mean. Obviously, the term _bloody_ moon had been too cliché for him and immediately understood that it had something to do with an eclipse. But the idea of getting lost in the desert would be quite threatening to him, he'd actually had to give up on vigilant awareness on his surrounding to do that. He hadn't done that, and assumed that he'd be hesitating when he is expected to do so.

Next, he'd find the boon, now what would that mean? Was he finally going to get his inheritance? But the last bit... _dream is where you will assert?_ What the hell did that mean? To Naruto, it didn't even make any grammatical sense. Assert mean to state somethings as to being true, or insist on rights, or to exercise one's power, influence and prerogatives in an obvious way... the word had meant many meanings, and the harder he thought of it, the greater the magnitude of his headache grew.

He set down his chopsticks to hold his head in his hands. Instantly all eyes were on him, he didn't want the attention, ironically enough, but it was inevitable. Sakura, who sat next to him placed a comforting hand on his arm, but the pain was rising an excruciating rate for him to notice. He screwed his eyes shut, slightly watering, why can't things just be handed easily enough, sign some papers, recite some vows and get his inheritance. Why did his father make him suffer through all this?

"Sorry if Gaara's food—"

"No, that's not it," muttered Naruto, interrupting Kankuro's insinuation

"Sakura, what are you doing? You're a medic-nin aren't you? Heal him, whatever's wrong with him" Temari's suggestion felt more of like a demand than what it was supposed to be, and immediately, Sakura complied, standing behind him andplacing gentle fingers on his temples.

Naruto sighed at the relief when she alleviated the pain. Then chuckled shamefully, apologizing for the fit he threw in.

"It can't be avoided," remarked Gaara after the silence, "what's wrong with you?"

Naruto shook his head, "it doesn't matter now. Say, when will the next eclipse be on?"

"Tomorrow actually, how'd you know about that?" asked Gaara

"Tomorrow?" repeated Naruto, mind settling in to thousands of things that he needed to prepare, enough food to satisfy their hunger, enough water supply to quench their thirst, some sunscreen when they can't rely on their chakra to do the protection and several others they needed. But he and Sakura will need to make haste if they wanted to get lost in the desert in time for the eclipse.

"Sakura" said Naruto, "I need you to get ready and meet me at the gates by midnight. Gaara, I really appreciate your hospitality, but we have to move quickly now"

"Understood, may you fare well in your journey" said Gaara before popping in some of his dinner into his mouth

"Yeah, well we haven't really hung out much Naruto, but it was great having you over" said Kankuro

"Same here with Sakura" smiled Temari.

"When will you be heading out?" asked Gaara, after swallowing his bite, watching Naruto rapidly consume his meal. Through a mouthfull, Naruto mumbled "after dinner"

Sakura blinked and hurried with her meal as well, no longer caring if all eyes were focused on her vigorous appetite. If Naruto was in a hurry, so should she. She won't be a burden to him, and promised to help him, not slow him down.

With that being done, they bid their farewells once more and Sakura... Sakura actually didn't have to pack anything, her things were sealed away in Naruto's—new trenchcoat! So that was why he looks deliciously different that evening, shaking that thought away, she decided to purchase two boxes full of soldier pills and some aftereffect medicine. The type of medicine used to sober up the body after going through the soldier pills.

With that ready, she brisk walked towards the gates and found Naruto standing there, unlike her, without luggage. The evening was a complete contrast than it was in the morning; the breeze was cold enough to forge a layer of goosebumps on exposed skin and chafe her cheeks pink from the cold.

"Here, let me take that" breathed Naruto, pocketing it before marching away. Sakura jogged behind him, cool sand shoving into her sandals in the process, "what's the hurry?"

Wordlessly handing a piece of paper to Sakura, she read them through before looking back at Naruto, "does this mean you know where to find... _it_?"

"Yeah" replied Naruto, taking the paper from her hands, denying her the second glanceover to decode it

"H-how do we find it?" asked Sakura, her sandals crunching in the sand, and the breeze blowing her hair to her face

Looking at Sakura from the corner of his eye, he smirked at her and answered, "by getting lost"

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: Thank you once again to those who read and reviewed! Alerteer and Favoritees, I'm still waiting for those reviews!! I've got somemore artwork posted up in my deviantart account! Check my profile page and click its link if you feel like checking them out! Til then, ciao!**

**Dictionary:**

**Ameliorate:**To make something better, or become better

**Exploit: **Take advantage of something, use something to benefit

**Pervade:** Spread throughout something

**Dubious: **unsure outcome, of uncertain quality

**Elicit: **Draw out something hidden, provoking a reaction

**Okay listen up, there will be LEMONS on the 12th Chapter, and I will be strict with reviews,  
To get to the 11th chapter I'll be waiting for the NEXT 10 REVIEWS from REVIEW NUMBER 55  
**Why? **Since Reviews don't come in that quickly, so will the story, that way I have time to think up of a LEMON**

**Depending on your enthusiastic reviews, I will be inspired and write quicker to publish the story sooner than expected, but that would mean the NEXT 15 REVIEWS AFTER REVIEW NUMER 65.**

**It MAY SEEM IMPOSSIBLE, BUT IT WON'T BE IF EACH READER REVIEWED. May your Reviewing powers kick in and review away... I mean you can if you want to, but I'm just saying that you should, but I'm not forcing you or anything, just telling.**


	11. Throws Sakura and Naruto Into The Desert

**A/N: (Brace yourselves guys, this one's gonna be a long note...)**

**Lolz, well guys, I have **_**good news**_** and **_**bad news**_** to share. The bad news is actually more of a bad news for me since I didn't really hit my target of 65 REVIEWS before publishing this. This makes it a GOOD NEWS for you guys since I'm too generous.**

**I will admit that I don't really feel appreciated for my work here, but heck, I'm tired of waiting to be appreciated in this community, my goal was to add this story in my 1000 REVIEWS C2 named The Bulletin Board, but heck, that seems impossible if I should say so myself. It's quite ironic for the manager of the TBB to not have her story posted up there, but (sighs) oh well, Life doesn't always greet you with a smile on the face.**

**The only fuel that gets me going here now is my arduous passion for writing and my pleasure of sharing it to the world. I value my stories, my ideas and creativity, but it if isn't enough to earn a review, at least I get enough to hook more Alertees and Favoritees. I won't be asking for your sympathies guys, since this is a website for people to simply escape from the realities of the world for just a few minutes, I'll just let you enjoy what I have worked hard for. **

**That's my selfless desire, to entertain you all without asking much but to enjoy what I wrote, to receive reviews in return to see if you all appreciate it... but since most of you don't really seem to have the time to spare a little comment, that's something I really can't force all of you to do.**

**Now that's out of my chest, I shall put on a smile and soldier on like Naruto! Believe it!**

**Start**

"By getting lost"

"I'm sorry, I just yawned back there, I thought I heard you say _get lost_?" asked Sakura, smacking her lips as her eyes drooped low, feet carving a trail through the sand, hands swinging idly by her sides as she tailed Naruto from behind.

"Yup" said Naruto, carrying on his path

Tilting her head to the side, his answer snapped her back into awareness. She ran to his side and craned her neck to see him, never realizing how tall he had gotten until now. She opened her mouth ready to retort something, but the thought of the bathroom incident came rushing back into her mind, a dangerously warm flush swirled within the pit of her stomach.

Growing uncomfortably conscious with the fact that Sakura was blatantly staring at him, he shot her a reprimanding gaze from the corner of his eye, to only arch his brow at the red tint her cheeks grew. It was rather awkward to see her, mouth gaping, eyes sparking and cheeks reddening right at him.

"You catching a fever or something?" he asked before looking away, not bothering to look at the sky; it was a little bit earlier than midnight, perhaps an hour more before so.

Sakura swallowed and averted her gaze, completely forgetting what she wanted to say. She pressed the backs of her fingers against her cheeks to cool then down by feigning her scrutiny of a temperature check up. Naruto took note of that and also added, "won't you be able to sense if your sick since it's _your_ body?"

Sakura's eyes glinted in aggravation and harped, "I can check my own body whatever way I want, so _fuck_ off!"

Naruto smirked, "ironically enough"

"What?" hissed Sakura, growing redder by the minute, her only way to mask her maddening blush through feigning anger. Though she didn't really mean to set up another squabble with him, her pride had been set to high to reveal her blush.

Wisely bringing an end to their argument, Naruto sighed and muttered, "Nothing"

After a peacefuly reign of stillness settled in, Sakura dared to ask once more, "so how are we going to look for it?"

"I said, by getting lost"

Sakura snorted, too lazy to harp on that, "yeah, well good luck with that, you'd have to be blindfolded for that to happen"

With an unwanted idea popping into his head, Sakura had a feeling it would be a _long_ night. And so ridiculously enough, they blindfolded themselves with their forehead protector as they journeyed into the wasteland of Suna. Feet trudging on with their minds were left half-awake. the cool breeze shrugging their farewells as the harsh, warm zephyr began to settle in. From there, they knew that the morning was dawning into the afternoon.

Sakura was the first to tug her forehead protector off, with Naruto's following suit hereafter. The blonde scrunched his eyes shut, rubbing them with a finger and a thumb before his vision settled in. Apparently, when that happened, a haggard Sakura was enough to overcome his fear of ghosts to make way for a fear of Sakura. That alone was hard evidence to prove how frightening she seemed to Naruto's eyes, for words no longer registered in his mind with the unreasonable fear.

"We're _officially_ lost! Are you happy now?!" she badgered, nose flaring as she jabbed a hard finger on his chest.

Naruto didn't flinch or react to the pain, heck, he'd been through worse, so, instead, he unwittingly beamed "hell yeah!"

A blow to the eye, as usual, accompanied this, but Sakura, had no strength left to spare him that. Getting lost in the desert would be one case scenario she'd never imagine and had to prioritize the basics before anything else. All this tomfoolery with Naruto was a luxury she couldn't afford at the moment; for now, she'd need to be as resourceful as possible for her sake and Naruto's.

If one thought that Naruto was unbearable, one might add in _insane_. Sakura began to fear the possibility of Naruto plowing his way to the grave, and so, she decided to make sure that it doesn't happen.

With the sun high on the sky and their shadows right beneath them, both their bearings were absent at the moment, and Sakura had to refrain herself from punching some sense into Naruto's head (again). Right now he covered his eyes with one hand and outstretched a pointed finger on the other and began to spin like a deranged idiot... which Sakura, believed was something that Naruto was beginning to become.

He stopped at about the right time before he collapsed to the ground—due to nausea—and wobbled towards the direction he randomly pointed at. He shurgged past Sakura then turned to his right and lumbered on. Sakura just sighed and followed him, no spinning, just tailing right behind him.

"So how long are we gonna keep this up?" asked Sakura, glaring at him, her voice with an edge of intolerance

"We have to find a cave by the time the red planet catches up to the moon… or the other way around in our case," replied Naruto

"Sure! That'd be easy" she responded sarcastically, "_if we were in EARTH COUNTRY!!_ Naruto, we're in the _desert_, the chances of finding a hollow cave fit for us both is a million to—"

"Not true" argue Naruto, "remember the time we were racing to get to Sunagakure and got caught in a sandstorm?"

"No" answered Sakura

"The time Gaara was abducted by—"

"I remember"

"Good, that alone will give you proof that there _are caves_ in this sand box" muttered Naruto, emphasizing some few words to prove her wrong

"So?" asked Sakura

"We do the riddle"

"Which?"

"How many riddles tell us what to do after getting lost out here?" asked Naruto, spinning on his heel to face Sakura while he continued walking backwards. A breeze scanned through the land, brewing up some dust to fly into Sakura eyes, using her hand as a visor, she set chakra to shield her eyes, beckoning Naruto to come over so she may do the same.

She stood on the balls of her feet to reach up to his face, he sighed, "just trust me in this for once, okay?"

"Yeah, I do" responded Sakura, earning an odd look from Naruto, who managed to shake it off before it was noticed. She stepped back and gestured him to continue leading the way, with a bob of his head he resumed their journey.

The day was rather tedius and they maintained the intense focus on their chakra to keep their skins cool from the scorching sun and the boiling sand that heated their sandals and reached the soles of their feet. Naruto was rather getting an even complexion at this rate, but then worried about the rest of his body. He removed his trenchcoat and then proceeded to removing his shirt, sealing it away before wearing his coat once again.

"Getting a tan?" crooned Sakura in a teasing manner, clasping her hands behind her as she craned her neck to look back at Naruto

"Kind of" muttered Naruto, too busy looking ahead to take in her insinuation

"You know you'd still have odd patches if you'd left your trenchcoat on"

Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he said, "so?"

"So, if you want a better tan, take your coat off"

"I—"

"Will keep it safe, I promise"

Giving her a wary look Naruto added, "you know how many important things this coat has, right?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, and folded her arms in front of her chest averting her eyes from him, "fine," she said lightly, "it's not my fault if I get an ugly tan"

Naruto glared at her before tugging his coat off and tossed it to Sakura's head as he walked on. Sakura slyly smirked before wearing his trenchcoat. Since she didn't meet the required height, as a result, the hem of the coat touched the ground, sliding another trail as she walked. She didn't worry about uneven colors, she had chakra to prevent an unwanted tan.

She held back her pace to watch Naruto from behind, watching his muscles flex when he moved, the glossy layer of sweat layering emphasized the demure crevices on his back. Biting back a smile, she decided she'd do the same.

"Hey, Naruto"

"What?"

"I want to get a tan, too"

Slightly jerking his head back, he looked over his shoulder and said, "you don't need my permission, you know?"

"I'm telling you this so you can seal my clothes away"

Naruto sighed and looked forth, "don't be troublesome and be reasonable, you have an even complexion anyways"

Pouting, she marched next to Naruto, and glared conspicuously at him, "I _am_ being reasonable. I'm pale aren't I?"

Naruto sighed, "You don't have to change anything about yourself Sakura, you're fine just the way you are"

Sakura's lips pursed, fisted his trenchcoat and brought it to her face to hide the fact that she was blushing madly and giggling in a girly delight. Naruto indirectly told her that she was _perfect_. This was it, an interesting way to kill boredom and time, tossing her hair back, and smoothing his trenchcoat. She tugged her mesh undershirt low enough to reveal more cleavage than she already displayed and spoke, "you mean, I don't have to change _anything_ about _these_?"

Naruto didn't have to look, aware of what she was trying to do. Keeping an imperturbable gaze he spoke, "as a matter of fact, you can just drop the genjutsu; I don't even understand why you cover it up"

Holding back a scoff with the fact that Naruto figured that she had a genjutsu casted on her chest she spoke, "well, I find it inconvenient if my ladies get in the way during battle, don't you think?"

A short laugh escaped Naruto's lips, "you can actually use them to distract your opponent, you know that?"

Sakura slapped Naruto on the arm and muttered, "pervert"

"Look who's talking"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, Sakura, you don't have to be so prim and proper all the time, I know you've been checking me out" grinned Naruto, raising and lowering both brows playfully

Instead of being all sensitive about this, and decided to just suck it up; she played along, "yeah if there was actually anything to _ogle_ at"

Naruto scoffed at that but remained cool, Sakura inwardly berated herself and had difficulty trying to get the conversation going. That must have been a blow to his ego—

"As if you had _anything_ to show," added Naruto, keeping in a frisky conversation going instead of one that led to an argument full of insults...

Sakura feared that this was where it was going and immediately steered away from that path and saved it with a: "well, there's really no need to show if you've been thinking about _it_ a lot"

With that, Naruto stopped in his tracks, failing to hide that maddening blush. Sakura wondered if she'd gone to far and dared to stop in her tracks as well. Carefully looking over her shoulder, she swallowed at the proximity of his moistening pecs before tilting her head up to stare at an unfathomable Naruto gazing down on her.

She shuddered at a hand that held her neck, and eyed at his lips, waiting for them to touch hers. She whimpered when he felt his other hand slide down behind her... daring to grope her ass, she arched her back, coaxing him to do so. She moaned at the feel of his tongue tracing her ear before suckling on her lobe, then he breathed into her ear

"About this...?"

Sakura inanely nodded and held her breath, anticipating for his next move.

"Well, Sakura-_chan_" he said, groping her ass in the process, she mewled into his ear, he smirked, "look who's talking now"

With that, he pulled away and smoothly headed down the path of nothingness, rather confident that he'd be now getting away with things unscathed, leaving a blushing Sakura to recollect her thoughts before running after him with a readied fist.

He didn't see that coming.

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It wasn't long before a sandstorm caught up with them, and out of desperation, Sakura decided to forge their own cave into an isolated cliff that jutted out in the middle of no where. Naruto yanked his trenchcoat off Sakura and summoned his shirt, wearing it before he did the said coat.

The cave was big enough to fit ten Akimichis huddling together, but small enough to keep the large cliff from crumbling to debris. She sat by the entrance, watching the deadly deed of a sandstorm; patterns picked up from the wild torrent and the breeze howled as they ravaged the terrain, promising to mock their situation when the landscape changes, yet again.

Her thoughts of worry drowned her long enough to realize that Naruto sat beside her. He kept a safe distance, he sat close, but not too close for comfort.

"_See_," began Naruto with a blithe tone in his voice, Sakura couldn't help but shoot him an aggravated glare that just screamed _"what the fucking hell is wrong with you?"_. Naruto just snickered, his grin growing too wide for his face, "I told you we'd find a cave"

Sakura rolled her eyes, too moody to play along, "ah shut up. You know I made this hole"

Naruto scooted over and frivolousy tickled her side, "but we _found_ one, nonetheless. You made it, you found it!"

Sakura lazily lolled her head to Naruto, gazing at him with a lethargically and said, "Fuck you," before heading to the deeper area of the cave, gathering pieces of rocks and forming a circle; pressumably planning to set up a bonfire. Naruto grinned and answered, "I love you, too." Then paused, wishing that he took the time to rethink what he wanted to say before blurting it out on impulse.

He timorously looked over his shoulder and watched Sakura move robotically, searching for something to burn with before tearing his gaze away. Hopefully, she didn't hear him. Usually, if he said something, she'd respond. Perhaps, she was too deep in thought to hear him, or perhaps the desert was making him crazy enough to say things he never really meant... but no... did he really mean it?

Though his mind said, _bah! You're thinking too much, you just said that to lighten up the mood_ while his heart argued, _you idiot! You wouldn't be saying that if you never meant it! Screw your excuses and be a man!!_

_**Yeah, Naruto, be a man**_

'_Shut up long-and-gone_' grunted Naruto in response, '_I don't need a fuzzball to screw my mind right now_'

_**I AM NOT A FUZZBALL**_

'_Says you_'

"Naruto"

Immediately he tensed, trying to sound normal he responded, "yeah?" but failed miserably when his voice unexpectedly cracked. He cleared his throat before he reluctantly looked over his shoulder.There he found a defeated Sakura who was on the verge of breaking down.

Looking worn and sitting down with her legs spread like a wreck, she obviously didn't care at how she looked anymore. With her hair disheveled and dark circles outlining her eyes and—heck, she just looked as if she rose from the dead.

Walking over to her, he kept a careful distance and squatted down to her level, "what's wrong?"

She lifted her tired eyes back up at him, tears brimming on the corners, lips quivering in defeat and she choked out words before they broke out in sobs, "I'm tired, I'm hungry! We're in a cave, there's a storm outside, and we're still in the middle of no where! I can't find anything to burn but these clothes, I'm stinky and dirty and I'm getting blisters from my feet! I'm tired of using my chakra without pause and I—I..." she wailed further, shoulders shaking, words tumbling out of her escalating bawls until they fell incoherent to Naruto's ears.

He watched her with worried eyes and held her shoulders quite helplessly; he was at loss, he didn't know what to do and felt defeated as she broke down in front of him, pieces of Sakura's shell were crumbling away, revealing the helpless little girl she really was. Naruto had never seen this side of her and always believed that she was like a bull, always tough, always stubborn.

He fell back against the wall as she threw herself into his chest, burying her face into his shirt. His hands found their way to her back and began to rub them in small circles in hopes of calming her down...she didn't deserve to suffer... she didn't deserve to be like this. And if he were ever the reason for her crashing into pieces, then he'd beat himself up for being a jerk. He let her cry it all out on him... he offered her his shoulder... or chest and was willing to do so until she calmed down.

He gazed into the far corner of the dark cave, the sandstorm howling outside but never matched her aggravated wails. It ached his heart and wrenched the tears out him, but continued to hold them all back. He was in no position to fall weak before her now, she needed someone strong to repair her, and he _will_ be that someone. He listened and patiently waited, unconsciously rubbing her back in small circles, as he felt his shirt drench a massive area on his chest. Finally, her wails softened to sobs, and sobs faded to sniffles until there was no more to hear but the raging storm that never seemed to cease.

Letting her cry herself to sleep was the best he could do. It wasn't much and it made him feel like a jerk, but at least she calmed down. She was, after all, a human. A human that could only do so much, gathering all the misery in their life, storing tears for a day like this to come, to release them all for all they were worth and then start again with a lighter feeling. Sakura was like a cloud that way, releasing the heavy tension to make way for a birghter day.

_**Like I said Naruto, be a man**_

He sighed, no longer having the energy to shut the fox up. Instead, he carefully laid down on the smoothest area of the ground to summon his sleeping bag and draw some dead twigs he had stored away back in Konoha. He let her slumber in his sleeping bag before finishing the task of starting a fire. With a simple fire technique, some dead twigs and concentrated chakra, they had fire that would last long enough for them.

Using the silence well, he drew out the important items of the urn, the painting, and the scroll. Refering to the latter riddle he found in his pocket, he read it over once again

Hide beneath the bloody moon,  
Get lost in the desert  
Where you will find the boon  
Dream is where you will assert

Then he placed the other piece of paper with the riddle next to it

_From a medium's word, you'll have the key  
With untouched blood the mortal will see  
Beneath golden sand, there hides she  
A favor to seek her half from thee_

Then he racked his brain and mentally recalled the prophecy he had. He refrained from bursting into sudden glee; feeling fibre in his body tingle to the sensation with the very fact that he will soon get his heritage.

_  
When the wise man falls, turn to his mate,  
It is she who holds the start of this fate.  
When you've broken a barrier, don't wait,  
Slice through your path before it's too late.  
Cross blades in the night, don't make them the bait  
And bear the burden of your duty's weight.  
Your actions be numbered, carved on a slate;  
The cycle will end on the death god's plate._

With these rhyming clues placed next to each other, excluding the latter, he began comparing them. The last one, was what his future would hold, the first was his key to finding it. The second foretells what he is expected to face. Not necessarily finding the sole significance of it all together, he decided to focus on the last and recall past events.

Jiraiya had fallen... that was his wise man. And what of his mate? That was what still intrigued him, but seeing to it that Tsunade handed something over to him that Jiraiya was supposed to, he assumed that she must be his mate, since she began his journey through the scroll. But that was as far as he got.

Then he drew back to the two previous ones. He finally took note of the second riddle's first line, and assumed that the third will be his key. Two first riddles does mention about the desert, the first—gah!! He had to admit, he was getting confused, labeling the shortest riddle One, the next Two and his prophecy as Three he withdrew his pen from a summoning tag and he scribbled roughly beneath Riddle Two's paper; then he examined them.

_Get lost in the desert, where you will find the boon_

_With untouched blood the mortal will see_

Okay, so he's lost... now he's supposed to look for something. Since he was still a virgin, he began searching throughout the cave. When he found nothing that seemed to suit his interest, he refered back to the pieces of paper then read

_Beneath the golden sand, there hides she_

_Dream is where you will assert_

Naruto scratched his head with a distorted look of confusion plastered on to his face before pacing next to a slumbering Sakura to study at the rhyming riddles once more. He pressed his knuckles to his lips, while the other planted firmly on his knee. He sat cross-legged and stared intently at the pieces of paper, if he stared any harder, the paper might burst into flames.

"What're you up to?" mumbled Sakura, Naruto quickly hugged the documents to himself and puerilely answered, "Nothing, now go back to sleep, you're tired" he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Nah" said Sakura, propping herself up with her elbows, he sat near her head and so she rested her chin on his lap, gazing at the dancing flames caught in the pit of wood, "you used chakra?" she wrinkled her nose

"Well, if we wanted some good fire working, of course I did. The storm's still outside, raging like a certain someone"

"Yeah, well, certain someone is feeling better" smiled Sakura, turning her head to rest her cheek on his lap, obliviously eyeing his pants. Naruto grew conscious and gently pulled away from her; his turned his back on her and began reading through the papers.

"What are you doing?" asked Sakura, sitting upright

"Trying to figure it out" mumbled Naruto, little did he know that Sakura had been reading over his shoulder and when he did notice, he pulled away from her and threw in a rant of respecting one's privacy all over again

"I have an idea!" perked Sakura, ignoring his efforts to drive some information in her head. He sighed in defeat when she snatched the papers from him. Noticing the recent document, she asked without lifting her eyes, "where'd you get this one?"

"I...I..."

"This your prophecy?" she asked lightly

Carefully watching her, Naruto sighed, aware that this confession was worth regretting someday "...yeah"

"Good" she beamed before setting it on the floor and crouching low. He watched her, wondering if he let her rump stick up on the air on purpose or something. "Do you have a spare page?" she asked

"What?" breathed Naruto, forcing his eyes to avert from her bottom, "paper? Sure..." he drew out a clean sheet from a summoning tag and handed it over to her. Plopping next to her, he watched her jot things down. "Now, read this" she said, handing it over to Naruto, and he did

_From a medium's word, you'll have the key  
_Hide beneath the bloody moon,  
_With untouched blood the mortal will see  
_Get lost in the desert  
_Beneath golden sand, there hides she  
_Where you will find the boon_  
A favor to seek her half from thee_  
Dream is where you will assert

"What do you think?" asked Sakura, biting the tip of the pen

Naruto turned to looked at her, "the rhythm is off" he stated. She sighed heavily. She rolled her eyes and snatched it away from him. Flipped the page, she rewrote it; this time in paragraphs, "now, read it _again_"

_From a medium's word, you'll have the key, hide beneath the bloody moon With untouched blood the mortal will see get lost in the desert beneath golden sand, there hides she where you will find the boon, a favor to seek her half from thee. Dream is where you will assert_

Naruto shook his head,"doesn't make sense"

Sakura, trying her best to keep her patience long, snatched it from him again and scribbled something quicker, then handed it back, "Listen Naruto, now that I've grammatically altered the riddle, it may not be exact, but the last bit... I think it'd be best to leave it alone"

He nodded and read it over

_From a medium's word, you'll have the key. Hide beneath the bloody moon with untouched blood and then the mortal will see. Get lost in the desert, beneath golden sand, there hides she where you will find the boon, after a favor to seek her half from thee. Dream is where you will assert._

Though it was roughly estimated on what it was meant to sound like, it slowly seemed to make sense; now they just needed to wait for _her_ to come over and then things will perfectly fall in place. Turning to Sakura with a broad grin, this faltered when he saw her removing the canvas sheet from its frame.

"What are you doing?" he deadpanned

"Checking the painting out" she answered, carefully flipping it back to see the emptiness. She gingerly ran a finger across the immaculate surface and Naruto grew nervous. Noticing the fact that Riddle One was in her hands, he asked, "what are you _planning_ to do?"

"Well Naruto..." began Sakura, depriving eyecontact; she blew a strand of hair away from her face before turning to face him with a gaze he couldn't fathom, she spoke "...I'm solving the riddle"

_**To Be Continued...**_

**Dictionary:**

**Blatant: **offensively conspicuous

**Timorously: **Showing fear or hesitancy


	12. Solves The Third Line Of The Prophecy

**Thinking of: **Naruto n.n

**Eating: **Naruto

**Drinking: **Naruto

**Listening to: **Hypnotized by Plies ft. Akon

**Feels: **like a zombie!!

**Start**

"I'm proud of you, Sakura!" grinned Jiraiya

Sakura's eyes shot wide open as she scrambled on the sleeping bag... that bit didn't really bother her, since there was a dead man right in front of her. Strangely enough, she felt every fibre in her being drift like the air as she felt her breathe from every pore of her body. She looked back and yelped to see herself sleeping. That's right, no typos there. Instinctively, she jammed herself back to her solid body and screwed her eyes shut...

"What are you doing?" asked Jiraiya

Sakura then bolted right back up, on the verge of panicking. Turning to Jiraiya, she widened her eyes and screamed, "I don't want to die yet!!"

The man chuckled before sitting on the other edge of the sleeping bag, she grew wary and studiously eyed him before she spoke, "if you do anything to my body, _anything_ at all, I swear I'll—"

"Woah there, Sakura" interrupted Jiraiya a hand to gesture to halt, "I won't do that, I swear. Now listen, you're wasting my time"

Though quite offended, she didn't protest and obliged to his command.

"What you have there now is a Naruto trying to solve the riddle, but he doesn't know what to do. You see that painting over there? It's not the picture that is quite important, but the clean space at the back. Remove it from its frame and take the shortest riddle of the three, there in that small square of paper lies a symbol in the middle. I need you to write that, exactly the same, with absolute perfection, meaning no mistake, on the back of the canvas painting. Use Yoburo's ashes as you ink."

Sakura blinked

"Do you understand?"

She slowly nodded, then added, "But his ashes are too little to cope up with the—"

"Listen, Sakura. It's just a technique to store it all in such a small container; you just need to break the chakra hold with the technique I'll be teaching you in a bit—"

"Why the painting?" asked Sakura, "and why Yoburo's ashes?"

"The material used for the painting is the ink used to write seals with. If you enhanced your vision with chakra, you will notice the numerous writings formed to make up the picture. That was the reason as to why every viewer who looks at it long enough is enchanted by the simplicity of it. Right now, you don't have time for that"

"And the issue about Yoburo and his ashes," continued Jiraiya, "it was because he had sworn his life to protect this bit of the secret. The moment he made that painting, he gave his soul and it burned his body to black ashes for the material that will be used to draw the symbols on, making it a gateway to—"

"His soul?" interrupted Sakura with a wild guess, "So we'll be summoning him?"

With a sigh, Jiraiya shook his head, "No, but you'll figure what you'll encounter soon enough be revealed. Moving on with the riddles, I need you to merge the first two, the shortest, and the shorter one. Naruto will surely understand what will happen next. That bit is for him to solve. Anyways, the technique about the urn, to let the rest of his ashes arise, you have to start like this..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The moment her meeting with Jiraiya ended, she awoke and began to feign oblivion, up until she began her task of carefully removing the painting's frame. That was when Naruto asked the inevitable…

"What are you _planning_ to do?"

Here, she silenced him by answering...

"Well Naruto, I'm solving the riddle"

Of course, it seemed unbelievable that she woke up and finally knows how to solve it in all of a sudden, but she didn't hear Naruto complaining. She snatched Yoburo's urn from the corner of the cave and opened the lid as she headed back to the overturned painting. Naruto was curious as he watched her from a safe distance; though he had no intention of disturbing her, the very thought of pouring Yoburo's ashes in the very cave they sought refuge in, was something he couldn't slide off so easily.

"Hold up!!" called Naruto, stopping Sakura in time. She raised her brows and looked at him impatiently, "what now?" she hissed

"I'm... I'm—I'm supposed to scatter his ashes in Sunagakure!" reasoned Naruto rather hoping that it'd stop her

She sighed, "Naruto, Sunagakure is basically in Suna. _We _are in Suna, that means, I can pour his ashes _here_"

"But what if—"

"What?" asked Sakura, rather hotly, she kneeled on one edge of the painting, held the small urn in her left hand while the other was firmly planted on her hip. Naruto drank in the vision and marvelled at her pose, especially with the way the dancing flames flickered light on her body.

"Nervous that Yoburo will come and _haunt_ you again, Naruto? Well, tell you what. How about we ask for his permission, okay? Okay. Yoburo-sama!" hollered Sakura, Naruto tensed, "I'm gonna use your ashes, hope you don't _mind_!" Naruto swallowed and then Sakura turned to him, "there. Did you hear him protest? No. So that means it's safe, okay? _Safe_."

Before Naruto could protest anymore, Sakura asked if she could use his writing brush and a drink of water; handing the desired objects to her with a baffled outlook, he watched her pour water in Yoburo's urn and use his brush to stir it.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" squealed Naruto, on the verge of committing a suicidal attempt

"Trust me" mumbled Sakura as she hovered the writing brush on the paper, Riddle One in her other hand, "whatever you do, don't disturb me until I'm done, got that?"

Before given time to answer, Sakura ran the brush over the clean sheet. The thick mixture glossing over the painting's bare back took in the form of his navel's insignia. Naruto watched helplessly in awe as minutes stretched into dreary hours.

She traded precious time with meticulous precision and held fast to her mandatory bargain. Her arm began to ache from stiffening her muscles to maintain the perfection of her work, sweat accumulated on her skin from the trapped heat of the secluded cave, and her eyes strained from the lack of light.

Understanding the pressure that weighed on Sakura, Naruto respected her tolerance and refrained from bothering her in any manner, as promised. Diverting his attention to something more productive, he glanced over the rearranged riddle and studied it.

_From a medium's word, you'll have the key. Hide beneath the bloody moon with untouched blood and then the mortal will see. Get lost in the desert, beneath golden sand, there hides she where you will find the boon, after a favor to seek her half from thee. Dream is where you will assert._

And then read over to his prophecy

_When the wise man falls, turn to his mate,  
It is she who holds the start of this fate.  
When you've broken a barrier, don't wait,  
Slice through your path before it's too late.  
Cross blades in the night, don't make them the bait  
And bear the burden of your duty's weight.  
Your actions be numbered, carved on a slate;  
The cycle will end on the death god's plate._

From the way the third line had delivered its frank message, he took it that he was bound to break through a barrier. The question that now boggled his mind was, '_what kind of barrier?_'

Clearing his mind from things that troubled him, he matched the significance of his plans and the possibilities of the events that he will bump into. Considering the fact that defeating Akatsuki was his next top priority, he might as well take in the fact that he will face them one day and break down their stronghold.

Believing his speculation, Naruto was contented with the smallest bit of idea as to where his next path will lead him. Aware that he accepted his Fate, he had no choice but to now release his liberty in life. He laughed at himself, but Sakura paid him no attention. Why? Well, it was the fact that he, Naruto who lectured Neji—about the choices he was free to make in life and that nothing was holding the Hyuuga back—proved himself to be a hypocrite after all this.

He sighed inwardly. Guessing that it was Fate's way of mocking him of his mistakes, most of which, he now can't take back or turn away from but be forced to accept and pressumably have his words against him in a malicious attempt of bringing shame. Well, that was Life in this wretched world, and he can only go as far as his sage-like preaches, chivalrous deeds and thousands of exigent promises

Glancing over the pieces of paper, he came across one line that intrigued him.

_with untouched blood and then the mortal will see_

This line meant being a virgin—does that mean he's going to break into someone? He gulped and looked over at Sakura, terminating the idea before something else down there got interested. The fourth and fifth line talks about fighting, and perhaps losing time... and who would be the bait? And who's _them_?

He looked over to Sakura, observing her progress; she had completed around three-fifths of it. He rose to his feet and approached the entrance, noticing the sudden hush. The sandstorm had subsided, granules of sand lying in a whole new concept across the horizon, the sky was still, not a cloud in sight and—he held his breath at the sight of a red spherical blot approaching the moon.

A short chortle escaped his throat in disbelief; the riddle seemed to foretell his future, yet again. He eagerly turned over to Sakura and saw her finish, he ran to her and hugged her tightly from sincere gratitude, and he laughed and spun her around with him; though stunned, she granted him the moment to cherish sweet exuberance, until finally deciding to end it.

Naruto grinned and set her down before asking, "now what? Is she coming over and all?" asked Naruto. His smile dropped when he saw a red tint dust across her cheeks

"Naruto..." she began walking over to her hard work, "come here..."

In silence he did, rather curious he asked, "why?"

"_Hide beneath the bloody moon with untouched blood and then the mortal will see. Get lost in the desert, beneath golden sand, there hides she where you will find the boon, after a favor to seek her half from thee_" recited Sakura, eyes looking intently upon Naruto's

He blinked, "What about it, other than the fact that you seemed to have memorized it."

"We're lost in the desert, Naruto. On top of this cliff is nothing more but more sand, thus _beneath the golden sand_. We will find the boon, Naruto... under one condition" Sakura swallowed

"What?" he asked, when she hadn't broken the silence, "what condition, we don't have that much time—"

"Do you remember what Gaara said?" asked Sakura, avoiding eye contact

Naruto blinked and nodded cautiosly, "what about it?"

Looking back at Naruto, she slowly began to remove her silken robe. Naruto swallowed, "what are you doing?"

"Solving the riddle," she said as she crawled to the center of the circle before continuing to undress herself.

Naruto watched with wide eyes out of utter shock, "what does it take to solve the riddle?"

"Naruto, I'm a virgin, using the blood from my hymen, mixed with our release at the exact same time—which should drop within this area of the symbol—we'll get whatever you've been searching for..." said Sakura

"How are you so sure about that?" asked Naruto, rather incredulous. And to think he was insane!

"I just am" answered Sakura. Silence drifted in like a growing plague, Sakura sat there, feeling dirty, and ashamed, now wearing nothing but her bra and super short shorts, sitting on top of a painting in a cave with a fully dressed Naruto. She was told to do this, wasn't she? Jiraiya told her she needed to do this with Naruto—or at least insinuated such actions.

Finally, he decided to close in, approaching her with a meticulous pace. She lowered her head in demure shame and slightly gasped at the soft, moist pressure that settled on her neck. She unconsciously lolled her head to the other side, granting him the full access to continue. The trail of soft kisses inched to her lips; she moaned into the innocent kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, parting her lips to grant him access.

**LEMON WARNING**

Her breath hitched when she felt his warm tongue slithering in her orifice, familiarizing with the contents of it, discovering nooks and crannies that sent shivers down her spine and savouring the heated taste the two shared. The dam in the pit of her stomach spilled its boiling contents as it spreadlike wildfire to her veins before settling in back to its concord, eliminating her innocence in the exchange of a scarlet blush.

Her skin grew sensitive as his feather-lite touches layered shivers on her porcelain surface, unconscious with the fact that he advanced to discarding her clothing, namely her bra. He unhooked it expertly and she gasped when cool air met her rosy buds, lips met hers once more, tongue swirling against hers as he kneaded her breasts. She trembled under his touches, and whimpered into his mouth as their heated dance of wet dominance slightly faded in exchange of discarding the remains of her clothing.

Dazed from lack of breath and overwhelmed by the intense heat that raged from within her body and radiated of her skin, she watched Naruto in the hasty process of disposing his apparels before stepping back into the fray.

Amused by her vulnerability, he took his time memorizing the features of her body that she readily presented him. The divine light the bonfire basked her in, the glossy layer of moist on her body emphasizing deep curves, overly generous flesh on just the right areas that terminated the word _fat_ and her mellifluous mistress waiting beneath a path of pink curls.

A lump formed in his throat as he reached her, hovering right above her. He watched her concentrated face as she ran her fingertips through his abs, muscles flexing under her touch. He felt her memorize the accented crevice sculpted into his body as he pressed his eyes closed. Her touches reached lower and lower until they reached the hem of his boxers, his excitement kicked in, breaking his string of self control and dove his tongue past her lips to massage hers and beckon a mewl from her throat; music to his ears, pleasure to his mouth and excitement coursed through his veins.

Her hands slid on his back as he leaned down to deepen the kiss, legs separating hers apart as they wrapped around his waist. His tongue, like a savage eel that sloshed in her mouth, harshly, yet lovingly drowned her in his kisses quite literally. She opted for holding her breath to challenge him in a matter of dominance but failed miserably as she moaned in her defeat, feeling the heated liquid deluge the innocence away from her stomach.

She gasped for air when he tore away from her mouth. He trailed wet, butterfuly kisses to her jaw and suckled a sensitive skin on the junction between her neck and shoulder before one of his hands began tracing light circles around her fleshy brae until he reached her areola, feeling the smoothest texture of her silken skin; she moaned, arching her back.

He continued kissing her until he reached the other mound, gently tracing its perky tip with his tongue; she mewled.

"Naruto..." she breathed, "don't tease... don't..."

He chuckled and paused to begin removing her shorts, "and why is that?"

"We don't have time; we have to get it done soon before... before..." Sakura swallowed, Naruto had removed his boxers, proving to her that the tent he formed, promised satisfaction. Like his clone, he proved himself big... at that moment she wanted to swallow him whole. She bit her lower lip and looked at Naruto, smirking back at her.

"Then I guess, you won't be tasting him tonight" he said before leaning towards her once more, she held her breath when he massaged her ear with his tongue, "this might hurt..." he mumbled. Sakura just nodded and let his ministrations distract it all from her. She welcomed his warm tongue with hers and let the way he swirled his against hers keep her dazed.

Naruto relaxed his jaw and delve his tongue deeper into her, eliciting another moan as it vibrated in their mouths, a telltale of a diversion. He let his right hand trace feather-lite touches to her right leg, slowly raised it, and hooked it on his arm; he gave her another mind-drifting wave of a kiss and then, slowly entered her. He shuddered at the tightness of her mellifluous walls before drawing back out to slightly inch closer, it took about three pumps before—

"Mmph!!" cried Sakura the moment he took a deeper prod, he on the other hand grunted out his sudden pleasure but gently carried out his strokes. While kisses softened in hopes of distracting her from the pain, he didn't stop and kept his slow rhythm, as gently as his self control allowed him to.

He held back his moans as he rocked himself into her; waiting to hear Sakura's muffled yelps turn into throaty mewls. His lips never tore from hers, and his tongue began to ache from his vigorous battle of domination but soldiered on just to hear that. With a few more pumps he efforts was rewarded with a breathy "_oh.._."

He parted from her lips and lowered his head in the crook of her neck to hear her moan again. He drew all the way back to the tip and slowly re-entered her, her gasp faded into a moan, her hands flew to his shoulders and tightened, her back arched from the pleasure and then he drew back and dove right back in, "_Naruto_..."

His tongue dared to taste her skin once more; his teeth grazed over the sensitive area and took in the sweet scent of her hair. He slowly drew back and slid right past her slick walls and then, "_kami_..." she breathed, closing her eyes

He sucked in that area of skin and shuddered when she groped his ass, mumbling, "_faster_..." immediately he complied, kicking in a new pace amplifying Sakura's whimpers and mewls into _ah_s and _oh_s. When she arched her back, she furrowed her brows, slightly worried about the painting beneath them, Naruto managed to grunt out the question of "what's wrong?"

"_Painting_..." she breathed only to gasp at the sudden change in position, his shaft jabbing a deeper dive into her. She found herself on top; a small smile graced her lips before arching her back. His hands held her hips keeping her in place as he began bouncing her up and down on his shaft.

She kicked in gently from time to time when a wave of bliss spasmed through her veins as Naruto continued to guide her ride him to and fro, then up and down and—ugh...

He watched her spread her legs wider and face contort when she reached a sensitive spot. She planted her hands on his chest for support and curled her toes, responding to the feel of the burning sensation swirling deep within her at the same time as the foreign intrusion that slid to and fro her slick, lubricated walls, pushing her to the edge of her orgasm.

He clenched his jaws as he heard his name tumble out of her lips through an arousing orgasm. His senses drowned all the other corners of his body to focus on the one that connected them both, the messy smacking as they withdrew and slammed, their scent permeating the air as they went, the muffled grunts and sweet mewls of his name triggered his need to escalate their rhythm at a rapid pace.

She kicked herself up and down on him, while Naruto guided her to hit the right spot. He watched Sakura's hypnotic process of the way she bounced her pussy on his shaft, ass slapping his balls as her breasts bounced in slight delay. He could feel it... it took him long enough but... he could feel the sensation gravitate towards a greater magnitude within him. His breath hitched, his eyes closed and pressed his head back, feeling that sensation creep towards—Oh... oh dear kami...ugh...Naruto's face tightened, his throat wanting to release that moan he had been storing.

When she kicked up once again, he held her there and jerked his hips to hers, an escalated whimper left her mouth as it erupted into arousing moans of his name over and over, signaling the intensity of her orgasm as he roughly shoved himself in her, reverse cowgirl style.

Sakura tilted her head back and whimpered, "_Naruto_...I'm gonna... I'm... gonn_aaaa_..."

He stopped in aggravation, remembering that they were supposed to release together. She whimpered in protest as he set her down on her back, she latched herself on his neck, kissing in very delicate areas that made him grunt. From there, he relaxed on her, ass slightly pumping before concentating chakra to swirl around his penis; he tensed, a whimper escaping his throat as he bit down on her neck, listening to his name being moaned over and over and _over_ again.

Sakura's legs rose before they wrapped tightly around his waist, toes curling at the barrage of pumps being driven in to her. He grunted her name. She mewled his. Her harsh grip soon turned into nails digging into his skin, his name rolling off her tongue continuously as her moans fluidly escaped her lips. She felt his shaft in her vibrate while it pumped into her at a quickened pace, heaving himself into her to the hilt.

She arched her back, pressed her head down on the hard ground as Naruto bit into her neck quite carefully to avoid drawing out blood while his velocity accelerated at an impossible rate. He shut his eyes tight and shuddered towards his growing release, he was... coming... soon enough...just a few more... a few more... Kami...kami...oh, dear kami... yes...

Sakura's moans grew to high-pitched whimpers of his name until she held still, wanting to last longer by biting in her breath, her moans, her wimpers, her coming release.

Her world dimmed, senses dulled and focused on the massive friction working up in her—the hypnotic rhythm of his rigid rod grinding to and fro her convulsing walls. A gasp escaped her restrained control, followed by the numerous eruptions of his name and moans, she thrashed her head about before pressing her forehead against his shoulder, shuddering underneath him like a quivering leaf in the storm,—the pleasure that gathered in the pit of her stomach burst into shrapnels of exhilarating bliss—white light flooded her vision...

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Sakura jolted in an upright position, her breath still harsh as her heart raced on. She felt the fatigue weigh in on her, but the absence from recovering from an orgasmic high made left her unsated. She wasn't in the cave anymore, everything around her was an unadultered sheet of pure whiteness. Her body felt lighter than air as she floated about. She turned her head around and about and found nothing more but infinite whiteness

"I don't wanna die, yet" thought Sakura, her voice echoing out of her head

"_And you won't_" responded a thousand, whispering, haunting voices

"...hello?" called Sakura, once again speaking through her mind

"_Haruno Sakura, Naruto's assigned female, do you accept the responsibilities of your action?_" asked the voice, not a hint of anger in it

She blinked and spun her head around, her hair hovering about as if she were in water... she floated about as if she were in water... but the fact was she felt _lighter_ than air, "...yes"

"_You do know that from this night on, you have accepted your Fate and obliged to seal it. You have accepted your role to be the Guardian of the Gatekeeper. You must now understand that Naruto's life is far more valuable than yours, for it is now your role to keep him alive, else you'd die along with him... you are to make sure that he lives so that you may... for that is what your new purpose in life is. The strongest bond I shall entangle you in... Carries a price too large for one so young... do you accept this?_"

Sakura swallowed, and then looked back at herself, did she love Naruto at that very great extent?...

...to the very fact that if she neglects Naruto in times of battle, she'd die a death she didn't deserve...

...to the very idea that if she died protecting him, she'd die alone and let him live...

...to the very thought that it was an obligation she was to accept...

...to the feeling that she knew she could do it...

"Yes..." was Sakura's answer

"I accept"

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thrown back into earth, she felt herself engulfing Naruto with her orifice down there and then... and then... Oh? Oh... Oh! Fucking damnit, fuckity fucking _yes_—she came...

She fell limp and her eyes rolled up, hiding beneath the layer of slumber. Her heart hammered in her heart, pulsing wildly from within her flesh. What was to become of them after this? That didn't matter... what mattered now was... sleep...

_**To Be Continued...**_

_**Dictionary:**_

**Dreary: **Dull and gloomy

**Meticulous: **precise and painstaking

**Mandatory: **Compulsory, needing to be done, followed or complied with usually because of an official requirement

**Secluded: **Private and quiet, cut off from other places

**Chivalrous: **relating to knighthood code, relating to or reflecting the values of the medieval code of knighthood, especially courtesy, self-sacrifice, and a sense of fair play; considerate and courteous, describes men, or men's behavior, characterized by consideration, especially towards women

**Exigent: **requiring action, needing immediate action; demanding, making heavy demands on somebody

**Mellifluous: **Sweetly or smoothly flowing, (sweet-sounding); flowing with honey, sweetened with or as if with honey


	13. Winds Down For A Bit

**Thinking of: **Next Chapter

**Eating: **my stomach

**Drinking: **in new ideas

**Listening to: **Bye Bye by Mariah Carey and Bye Bye (Remix) by Mariah Carey ft. Jay-Z

**Feels: **hungry...

**Start**

And then... he felt her... the hypnotic rhythm of sliding in and out and in and out through her slick walls... and the sound of addictive mewls that never ceased. He could feel it... he could feel it coming... every bit of his entire being was gathering together with each pump he drove her to the edge. He's so close... so _damn_ close and then—white light flooded his vision...

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Naruto broke out in heavy breaths, heart hammering with a rabid pace; he found himself slightly aggravated at the lack of release... but somehow felt satiated. His focus drew to how the burdening weight his body carried seemed to alleviate from the essence of his flesh and drew in a contented breath of a cool breeze that passed through every pore of his body.

Then he heard a thousand voices whispering, haunting him as he floated in surreal vast surrounding of pure white, but he felt no fear at all. He turned his head about, up and down and everywhere, but failed to find the source of noise. It amplified at a gradual rate, suffocating Naruto with monotonous chants.

Then it swirled in front of him... what was it? It seemed like an essence—like a chakra, swirling with grace until it took form of a silhouette he couldn't fathom. Features of a body stood before him, but failed to register in his mind. From the presence alone, he felt familiar with it, but couldn't exactly say who it was.

They spoke... words came and went but his brain refused to remember them, but knew what they were talking about, strangely enough. It began with an overly excited feeling, smothered with bliss, then the pride that swelled in him with his victorious feat, then the begruding responsibility that will grow when he awakens.

"_Do you accept all this?_" asked the whisper-like voice, thousands, and thousands of it ringing in his ears

Naruto answered, "More than ever." He stretched his right hand forth as if on instinct, reaching for something—an object that seemed familiar to him. Then he felt foreign warmth envelop his whole hand, slithering around his forearm until it enveloped him with such...a _foreign_ feeling; it was so new and unexperienced that didn't know whether to yelp out in pain or cry out in grief, or laugh in exuberance or do them all at once if possible.

But before he could even decide, he was thrown back on earth. He tensed as he began pounding into Sakura for all he was worth—Oh _shit_. Damn _fucking_ shit—his hip jerked forth, shooting his release to the woman he loved beneath him... he felt worn and tired, and his vision withdrew from his command. His head felt light as he submitted himself into the phase of collapse before falling limp, carefully landing next to her like a lazy, fat cat.

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"Well, kid I don't know whether to congratulate you for your first night, or congratulate you for obtaining your first heirloom" beamed Jiraiya

Naruto didn't know whether he should kick Jiriaya's ghostly ass for spying on them that night, or the fact that he crawled out through the most impossible of times just to obtain one, _one_ of his friggin heritage—how many, exactly, was he supposed to collect?! He didn't know if he should curse his beloved father for that, or beat the shit out of Jiraiya for not telling him that

"In my opinion, I'd say I choose both to all that," said the man with a cheeky wink

Naruto's face scrunched in confusion, but before he could speak Jiraiya beat him to it, "Listen to me, dangerous times are approaching you, boy, learn what you must, discover what you need and realize what you want, for darker days are bound to come, Naruto. You must make haste to find the other pair to the weapon you now wield, or better yet, try to figure out to summon it forth, for danger is lurking in the morrow or so."

"Since when'd you talk like that?" asked Naruto, unsure which to fall dubious in, the fact that he can speak so sagely or the fact that he knows what's going to happen next to him.

"Just listen Naruto, and hurry up"

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Harshly awakened by the first searing light of the morning, Naruto winced in response before turning his head away from the source of light, when that didn't help, he raised his right hand to serve as a visor. From there, he decided to drift in to some sleep, but held that thought when he realized where his mighty soldier sought refuge in.

When he groggily opened his eyes, he found a head full of pink locks resting peacefully on top of his chest. His unfresh mouth cracked a smile as he lifted his head to take in her scent, while his other hand stroked her porcelain back. He sighed as he lowered his head and began stroking her hair.

He stared at the craggy ceiling, before realizing how tired his hand was getting when he lowered it, he felt as if he forgot a vivid dream that deserved to be remembered. Concentrating hard on that made his face contort in deep thought, before they drifted in to countless scenarios from their actions.

He swallowed. How did he think Sakura would have felt... now that he popped her cherry, so to speak. She seemed hesitant prior to their actions but didn't during the bathroom incident... was this the reason why she cried herself to sleep yesterday? He scrunched his eyes shut in utmost confusion; a volley of ideas came drowning him out of logical means, thus cancelling out grammatical sense and utterly confusing him so.

First things first, how did she manage to figure out the riddle after waking up? It seemed nigh impossible for the answer to knock into her head just like that. Next, why, in the name of all things holy, did she have a sudden breakdown yesterday? Did it somehow connect to her sudden unusual acts of lechery?

How? Well, the bathroom incident, she initiated the move. Yesterday, she cried a river right after the slip of his _l love you_ thing—okay, not really, but who knows, right? Then the sudden solve of the riddle, which he has a strange feeling that it did happen but still had no proof to alleviate all forms of doubt. Why, in the first place, did she even _tag along_?!

Did she cry because she didn't want to have _sex_ with him? Then that would contradict to the bathroom incident... or maybe... or maybe, she didn't want him to solve the riddle and took his virginity since the riddle required a virgin to solve it. Maybe the riddle had something more to than just frank messages of sex and virginity and blood and whatever, what if she was working for someone who was against him?

_**How **_**dull**_** can you get?!**_

Naruto winced at the mental howl that pierced his ears from within his head with an aftermath of a mind-numbing headache. Retaliating his defense with a hiss of, '_what the hell do you want_'

_**Sakura is your MEDIUM, damnit!! How can you get so low to doubting her? She came for a reason of Fate itself, kit. FATE!! She was to come along, don't you see, intential or not, something made her tag along like a feeling she needed to. **_

Naruto fell silent, '_are you in cahoots with her?_'

_**Well, if it would mean knocking the obvious sense into your stupid head, then YES, I'm in **_**cahoots**_** with her. Naruto—**_

'_Since when did you figure out that she was the medium the riddle mentioned?_'

_**Whenever Jiraiya dropped in to visit her—OH COME ON!! It's not meant LIKE THAT!! You sick little pervert. **_The Kyuubi sighed heavily; _**I sensed his spirit drop from time to time, and heard him telling her the answers to the riddle, a reason when he doesn't reach out to you.**_

Not caring with the possibility that he should have heard Jiraiya if the Kyuubi did, he just went on, '_Why doesn't he? Why does he have to include Sakura in this?_'

The Kyuubi sighed once more, _**Kit, there are many things I'm not supposed to tell you, but I'll tip you in that without her, Jiraiya wouldn't even be talking to you from the grave. Ever since you began your journey from the forest, you saw Jiraiya from your sleep because Sakura was nearby... nonetheless, you're the one who's supposed to discover all these things, not I**_

This kept Naruto floating in his sea of thought, drifting along its currents as he brooded. So that was how Jiraiya spoke to him, and this was how she managed to figure them all out... answers were given to her but not him. But why? That was something that still hadn't gone through to him yet. There had to be a damn good reason to not receive the answers instead of riddles and neverending treks to the unknown.

He tensed at the slight movement he felt upon his tool. His hands pressed on Sakura's back as he felt her rocking them both with her body still pressed atop his. His eyes shut tight and drew out from his thoughts, relishing the sweet feeling of their divine morning dance.

"_Good _morning" growled Naruto, lifting his lids half open

In front of him was Sakura, lazily resting her chin on top of her hands with a smile on her face and a bright glow in her eyes. Her curtain of pink locks that framed her face swayed with her movement of hips bucking into him, "never knew you were so hard this morning, big boy"

He chuckled before rolling them over, gazing down on her eyes. She giggled and smacked him playfully on the arms. He looked at where he was hit and stared; she blinked in worry and began rubbing that reddened area endearingly

"Did it hurt?" she asked

"That..." began Naruto, before turning back to look at Sakura, "I _al_ways _found_ that _fuck_ing _hot_" he grunted, thrusting into her with each emphasis on syllables, earning gasps from the stunned Sakura.

"Which, which..." she breathed, dazed with the abrupt action and unwanted pause

He chuckled, "slap me again"

Sakura incredulously furrowed her brows, keeping an amused smirk to compensate the 'where had your head gone' look she gave him. "Masochist" she said

Naruto dipped his head and latched unto her breast, suckling as he gently bit down on the sensitive skin, she mewled, fisting in locks of his golden hair. She arched her back in response when he began rocking into her at an agonizing pace; she mewled, whispering him to go faster.

He muffled something in response and made no improvement. She whimpered her request again; Naruto parted away from her swollen mound and nibbled on her lip, before grunting, "Beg for it"

She giggled deviously, catching Naruto's eyes. She stared back at them with breathtaking intensity that dared to hack into his fortified self-control, she answered throatily then groped his ass making him whimper and wince, she reached out and licked his lips breathing "_never_..."

Naruto gathered his dominance over her and slowed his pace that aggravated her, "is Sakura-chan defying Naruto-kun?" he purred, sexily to her ear. She threw her head back in desperation and arched her back to slide her rosy buds against his taut manly ones; both held their moans in their battle for dominance.

Using chakra, she flipped them over and began grinding heavily on him. His face contorted as he held back his moan, she smirked, "you're a bad boy, Naruto-_kun_" she purred followed by a harsh grind that reeled in a shuddering grunt, "let Sakura-chan punish the _naughty_ boy"

Naruto chuckled lecherously before looking back at her, "well, Sakura-chan, you better brace yourself, because I'll show you what _naughty_ is all about"

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The sun had set and Sakura lay limp beneath a mobile Naruto, still hard after multiple releases and orgasms, still going after lecturing her the most forbidden of moves that included shadow clones and something along the lines of a foursome. Her voice ached from screaming all day, her limbs and _areas _too sore from stretching as far as Naruto made her to be, her chakra was on her last reserves to stay awake and keep up with him.

Still, she was twitching in blinding delight, breathing raggedly as Naruto was the one grunting out her name now. He entered her in places that aren't meant to be entered and marked her the whole day, how can't she not be sore? She knew what naughty meant now.

She felt overly sticky in areas most uncomfortable and heard the sloppiness echo through the cave, she moaned softly as she tensed, reaching an orgasm far greater than the last, and came far quicker than the last. She collapsed watched Naruto through heavy lidded eyes

"Sakura, just one last round..." whimpered Naruto before he released and collapsed on her. She _oof_ed in effect and lightly tapped him on the face with her knuckles in a feeble attempt to punch him, muttering, "baka..."

Naruto chuckled into her neck, kissed it endearingly, and looked her in the eye with fatigue, "I love you, too"

After a few seconds of resting, he pulled out of her, Sakura whimpered in protest from the warmth, but nonetheless ignored her, telling that if he didn't, she might not be able to get up tomorrow. He pulled her into his supine state, resting her head on his chiseled chest, an strong arm wrapped around her waist, while the other propped the back of his head.

He watched her drift in to sleep and drew in the scent of the musky cave, his limp rod twitched in anticipation. He sighed, forcing himself to shut his mind down, aware that he had gone on full out on Sakura. He watched her and felt her moist breath on his skin and her skin slightly pressing into him with each breath she took...and then he felt a tingle on the back of his right hand.

On an instinct, he looked at it, and there he marvelled at the inisgnia of a black swirl with a stem that reached the junction of his forearm... the kind of insignia that resembled an icon for a swirly pop. Then he brought it closer to his eyes and noticed some very, _very_ miniscule writings of the ancient dialect writing—like the ones on the scroll—on this, and raised both brows in mild interest.

He stayed like that until the sun peaked out once again from the distant horizon, breaking the darkness of the cave. The fire had gone out since yesterday afternoon after kicking dust into it by accident, thanks to Sakura's jerking legs. His thoughts flitted out of his current interest to chuckle at their previous action...

"What's so funny?" she mumbled

"You awake?" asked Naruto, rather surprised that he hadn't even notice her stir, then he sighed, "nothing..."

They embraced the cloak of silence before Sakura asked again, "when do we go?"

Naruto pursed his lips thoughtfully, watching the sun crawl out from hiding from within the cave before answering, "Soon"

"Where to?" she asked

"... a place that has an idea of _this_..." said Naruto, showing her his right hand. She gingerly lifted herself up and fell flat on his chest, with their bodies overlapping like a cross, she reached out for his hand and examined it. She turned to him, "is this what you got?"

Naruto nodded, "I think you may want to get off, soon"

Her confusion faded to a frisky demeanor and asked, "_why?_"

Naruto chuckled, "I'm warning you Sakura, we don't want any further delays, now do we?"

With a pout, she playfully slid off Naruto, brushing her chest with his, and carefully recollected her balance. He watched her retrieve her articles of clothing before demurely dressing herself with her back turned to him. He turned to his side and rested his temples on his left knuckle. He admired the dips on her body and his eyes lingered on her full, round butt... though it wasn't done in lust... but out of... simple admiration, like the way one would gaze at a masterpiece in the art museum... Naruto wasn't really a fan of art... but if he ever was, he would only worship the one that stood before him.

"What?" asked Sakura, standing rigidly right in front of him after fully dressing herself in the clothing Yoburo had given her.

Naruto didn't flinch like he usually would, and said, "nothing... just looking at you"

Her brows furrowed in interest as a sneaky smirk graced her lips before walking around to gather his clothes and throw it at him, "get dressed, we don't want any _further delays_" she reminded

He chuckled and dressed up.

According to the position of the sun, it was roughly six in the morning. From there, they expected to be heading towards Suna, which lay in the eastern area of the desert. Naruto estimated that they'd reach the village by midday if they went on full speed, but in Sakura's... erm... condition, they'd reach the village by evening.

"Sorry about that..." began Naruto

"About what?" inquired Sakura

"...wearing you out" muttered Naruto

Sakura walked closer to him and hugged him, resting her head on his chest, "don't be... at least, you taught me well about what _naughty_ _is all about_"

He chuckled and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer as they walked on with nothing to carry in their hands, but the weight of their affection for each other.

"About the insignia, Naruto..." began Sakura, Naruto hummed in response, "do you feel any different?"

He shook his head, then Sakura perked up a bit, "maybe it holds some newfound strength, don't you think?"

"What? Are you saying that I got my stamina from _this_?" he said, displaying his new mark before shaking his head and letting out a soft chuckle, "Sakura, it's my stamina that the Kyuubi affected"

She slapped him on the chest and he darted his eye to look at her. Obviously forgetting what that effect had on him, Sakura lectured, "I wasn't thinking about that. And besides, how can you think about having sex after doing it the whole day nonstop just not too long ago? I was more of like suggesting strength in power... you know?"

"Oh..." said Naruto, "so what are you trying to say?"

"Well, I'm suggesting a spar so, maybe—I dunno—you'll unlock some awesome powers, you know? A test drive"

Naruto looked at her as if she'd grown another head, "woman, you're still recovering from yesterday, how can you suggest a spar at a time like this, in the desert, in the middle of nowhere, under the scorching sun and recovering from chakra loss"

"Naruto," she scoffed, "I'm a _medic_-nin, I can increase the speed of regenerating my chakra—"

"Sure you can" said Naruto with a playful tone in his voice

"Well, through proper rest. Now, do you wanna check it out or what?" asked Sakura as they soon halted in their steps. Naruto gave a wary look but bore a cool smile to compensate it, finally withdrawing his arm he took a few steps away from her and hollered over the distance, "Just remind me why I love you again after this"

Sakura smiled broadly, "I love you, too" then drew out a readied stance, "Ready?"

Naruto stretched his limbs and rolled his shoulders before taking in a defensive stand, "let see what I can do"

A brash breeze broke through the stillness of the desert and the two shinobis disappeared out of sight, only to reemerge to the human eye with a minute explosion of sand with their fists locked. They jumped away before charging once more with flurries of punches and complicated patterns of taijutsu they threw on the other; Sakura with more on the punches and Naruto with more on raw taijutsu.

A glorious cloud of dust billowed from the still ground when Naruto initiated a sweep kick after ducking from an attempted punch to his chest. Sakura, in turn, leapt a mere foot high before she drove a chakra-laden fist back down on Naruto, who somersaulted away just in time before the firm sand began caving in to form a pit of quicksand, rousing more dust to lie suspended in the air.

She, too, leapt away to avoid falling into her own trap. Landing in the midst of the heavily dusty air, she whipped her head left and right, sensing his presence closing in on her from all sides. Out of the blue she grabbed a fist from behind her and pulled him over her shoulder, causing _Naruto_ to land into another of his clones before they both dispelled. A volley of punches and kicks greeted Sakura as the dust gradually subsided, revealing a dozen plus Naruto emerging from the wallowing cloak of dust.

One of the clones were rushing in on her with a drawn fist, another aimed a diving kick from her left to knock her balance off, another one from behind was rounding a kick. As time screeched into a halting pause, she bent far back to the point that her palms touched the ground, successfully dodging the punch in front of her; at that same time, she evaded the dive kick from below by kicking off the ground, striking the first clone away with a rapid tap of her instep.

From there she tucked her knees under her chin in meticulous precision before planting her heels on her next target's chest, thus dispelling him; the one who's dive kick hadn't come to an end, crashed into an approaching clone from her right, dispelling them.

As she sprang away, time resumed its normal pace and she barreled them all until she came down to one. The two locked eyes for a moment before the corners of their mouths tugged into a smile before they reappeared in front of each other, once again resuming their close combat.

Distracted by parrying blows from the other, they neglected the growing change in their surroundings. Leaping away from the growing quicksand Sakura conjured by punching the _already_ soft surface, Naruto set foot on an abstract sahara before Sakura came rushing at him with several deadly combinations—Ugh!!

A strong, sudden impact landed somewhere in the middle of his body—from behind or front, he wasn't sure where—Naruto winced in confusion and Sakura halted her fist just before she impaled it through his skull. Her gaze flicked to either eye and waited for him to respond, he opened his mouth ready to speak but sputtered blood to her face instead.

Immediately triggered into medic mode, she caught him just in time before he fell to the ground and gently settled him on her lap. His vision seemed wild and blurred slightly as he saw her withdraw her hands, now stained in his blood. His sputtered out more before she moved in close to him, mouthing words he failed to hear.

He forced his eyes wide open to refrain from blacking out. But it was done in vain for darkness, still, crept from the edge of his vision and towards his only focus, _Sakura_. From the looks on her face, which was still too blurred to make out any facial reaction and the way she reacted she couldn't have possibly hit him...she couldn't have... she couldn't—Kyuubi had clearly declared that she was on his side as the demon was...

He felt a wave of a nerve-splitting sensation overwhelming him, it was just one blow, but how could it possibly bring him down... they were supposed to be _sparring_ for a _test drive_, not _fight_ to the _death_...

Perhaps... trusting Sakura seemed like a... big mistake... the only thought that lingered in Naruto's mind before his grip of consciousness slipped away from his cold fingers... Perhaps he lowered his guard too early and entrusted her his life too soon... His mind relaxed itself from his burdening thoughts to emphasize the only words that laced the blistering hope of promise, which was _perhaps_...

'_Perhaps,_' thought Naruto, '_perhaps..._'

The Kyuubi sighed, _**Just rest, Kit, you think too much**_

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Naruto, stay with me" she said calmly as she began checking for any sign of physical injuries through the telltale signs of torn fabric. Failing to find any her hands cem across something damp, and if Naruto hadn't worn black, she would have seen it earlier. She lifted his shirt professionally, and was immediately greeted by a large gap with the width of her palm, glimmering with fresh blood.

She withdrew her hands and turned to Naruto, tugging his lids high, checking the constriction of his pupils as she muttered to him automatically, "stay with me Naruto, we'll get through this"

Channelling chakra to her palms, she began closing the wound, seeing to it that there was no sort of poison to extract, but a drug to nullify before it knocked him out cold. The question that now lingered in her mind was what hit him and where was his assailant.

A pinprick of a presence alarmed her. Due east from her position, she turned her head, suddenly sensing the genjutsu that heavily casted over the atmosphere by a sudden tweak of the enemy's concentration. She glared, aware that it was now too late to deactivate the genjutsu, perhaps it was why it seemed as if they weren't going anywhere during their sojourn.

She had to stay put and heal Naruto, else he'd bleed to death, but must also stay on guard, else they'd both die. "Who goes there?!" hollered Sakura, peering over her shoulder to gaze past a clump of shrubs surrounding a nearby palm tree.

"That question is for us to say, _stranger, _see" said a man's voice with an eerie tone that reminded Orochimaru's accent, "quite surprising you finally saw through the genjutsu"

It seemed far too heavy to the point that it became part of the surrounding that made it nearly impossible to detect. Judging from that alone, she may be facing with a deadly ninja who ranked S in the Bingo Book.

"What do you want?" hollered Sakura

"Hmmm... I think I'll be feeding on his soul Mirugi-danna, I'm too hungry to go over the ritual" spoke a female's voice that didn't exactly define the word pleasant.

"Maa, Soreda-chan, Jashin-sama will be very upset with you, see" responded the male named Mirugi. Sakura turned her head about, trying to track down their assailants. There was virtually nothing in the contorted wasteland but the set boundary between the desert behind her and the sudden sahara in front of her.

"Don't worry, I'll still torment him when he wakes up... that bitch is actually doing us a favor and seems mighty delicious, don't you think?" answered the woman named Soreda

Sakura began seeping her passive chakra into the air in hopes of pinpointing who these maniacs were. She didn't have time to listen in to their crazy religion about Jashin and... whatever twisted things they plan to do.

"Naruto, wake up, now" she mumbled, concentrating in on the flow to arouse his skin cells to regenerate themselves.

"Little girl, prepare yourself for the judgement that Jashin-sama has set on you, see" announced a wily old man who emerged from the bushes. His eyes bulged to the point that they might as well just hang by the veins if he widened them any further. Creases on his forehead seemed carved into his skin, his hair was spiky and blue, and his skin was a sickly grey. Taking in that this what a sickly old Kisame would look like, Sakura shuddered in revolt.

He beamed maliciously at Sakura, displaying rows of mangled, yellow teeth before he untied his burlapsack-like clothing. She narrowed her eyes, wanting to look away before she saw anything disgusting this man had to show but refrained from doing so, she can't risk her life by not keeping her focus on the enemy, right?

The man showed anything but, wearing ragged looking pants, his chest, other than the fact that ribs protruded far too conspicuously from them, bore a familiar inked emblem of a circle with a triangle within it, its angles connected to the round mark.

Sakura juggling the flow of her chakra to balance on her left hand kept healing Naruto, while her right drew out a tag from her shuriken holster that read "Suppress" in kanji before placing it over his wound.

She rose from her stand, charged towards the man with a zigzag formation, and planted a strong chakra-laden fist to his chest. She held still and so did the man, both of them staring down with bloodlust. Though he may be potentially dead now, she wondered as to why he hadn't he moved when he had been watching her the whole time—Hack!!

Her chest spasmed, sputtering when liquid pooled from the base of her throat. She widened her eyes and studied her fist before looking in to her body. Knuckles directly planted against his ribs must surely puncture his lungs and kill him within a matter of a few seconds.

She choked out, tasting the vile, coppery liquid that sprayed past her mouth, a trail crawling down to her chin. She knew the very effect of what was to happen to this old man, but she didn't understand why their status seemed to have switched.

"I see, you want to die instantly... you see, I plan to inflict pain on my body, thus inflicting pain on yours, see?" chuckled the man, widening his eyes as his manic grin grew. He grabbed her neck with a deadly grip, aware that her condition didn't exactly fare well, any sudden movement meant sudden death, failing to defend herself still meant death, but not sudden "do you feel the pain that I do?"

Sakura hacked, wincing in pain when her ribs prodded her fragile lung, the right one to be precise. As expected, she had broken her own ribs when she broke his, but didn't understand the concept of the possibility. She watched him with bated breath as his drooling tongue slid out of his mouth and inched closer to her lips, she bit them close, but it didn't stop him.

She screwed her eyes shut, forcing her mind to dive away from her current condtion to prevent herself from vomitting out of disgust. The man name Miguri gingerly licked the blood from her chin before he licked his own lips, chuckling like a deranged lunatic that he was.

"Miguri-danna, heal that girl and check this out" spoke Soreda

Miguri snarled and immaturely whined, "you're spoiling my fun, and why in Jashin's name should I heal her—"

Sakura stood still, curious with the sudden pause. She opened her eyes and found a pretty and petite woman in her early twenties clad like a belly-dancing prostitute, meaning fancy string bra with harem pants that showed the silhouette of her panty and a clear view of her legs, and bangles that irritatingly jingled whenever she moved. She had them on her wrists, her ankles, on her waist and, heck, her hoop earings can make a good handle when you want to throw her to the sun.

Muddled ebony hair hung graciously long enough to nestle in her overly abundant cleavage... and protruding from her chest was a large pole...

But that was besides the point, what really aggravated Sakura was the fact that the bitch was straddling Naruto! Fury once caged in, erupted from her very body, carefully she lifted a hand to heal herself before those two noticed her; she heard Mirugi mutter

"He bears the mark of Jashin-sama's judgement..."

"Shall we bring her to Our Lady?" asked Soreda, licking her lips in interest as she traced Naruto's jaw with her long, red painted nails.

Mirugi sneered pulled Sakura dangerously close to his face, he sneered as his eyes hungrily scrutinized her features a hand hovered next to his face, his tongue stuck out ready to lick her again. He scared the shit out of her, if she would ever be molested, she'd prefer Jiraiya over this sick lunatic.

She cringed in pain when he clawed her fractured ribs through her mesh shirt; she froze in anxiety, aware that his hand was a hair's breadth away from the underside of her breast. She waited for the inevitable then felt a sickly feeling slither in her insides. She felt some sort of languid grip on each of her fractured bones and tugged them back into place with painful measures, while something aginizingly crumpled her right lung as if it were paper.

She held her breath, suppressing a choked scream, until the pain dissipated. Thrown next to Naruto, she heard the malignant cackle of Soreda who gave a teasing grind on unconscious Naruto's shaft. Throwing a chakra-laden fist right at that bitch's face—failed surprisingly. Soreda effortlessly caught Sakura's fist with an unharmed hand. _Impossible!_

Sakura froze once more in enraptured fear, eyes widened, and breath held.

She gazed into the crazy woman's gray eyes with some hints of green. Sakura thought it was such a shame that a woman this beautiful had wasted her life for that crazy man. She squeaked when Soreda groped her breast and shuddered in disgust when she felt the woman's tongue slide up her cheek, chuckling as she went.

"Cool it, pretty face, we won't hurt you... yet" with that she threw Sakura to her feet, the girl slightly wobbled from the sudden demand in balance before scrambling over to Naruto to inspect any further damage. She pressed her fingers carefully against the tag to sense its moistness but held back in surprise when it was dry.

"He's not dead nor dying, come with us, and let's see what will become of him" said a nonchalant Soreda rising to her boots, grabbing Naruto by the ankle before swinging him effortlessly over her shoulder, showing off that she had a good view of his ass. Soreda winked at Sakura before the woman slapped his butt.

She growled in fury because of that, but remained helpless, aware of their dangerous strength. She yelped when Mirugi yanked her by the arm to follow them, inwardly cursing her luck that they ended up with a lunatic far worse than Orochimaru and a crazy woman wilder than Anko.

They walked through unfamiliar lands, Sakura chanced a look at her surrounding, finding no change in the terrain even if they walked on. The desert behind them still looked as if it were nearby, and they passed by the place—that she encountered this unlikely couple—on more than one occasion. If she ever risked an attempt of escape with Naruto, they might as well knock her unconscious or die otherwise...

She inwardly sighed, how were they supposed to escape this now?

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: Interestingly enough, though some speculations may prove themselves correct based on the ending of this fanfiction, do not be fooled by the frank hints I insert in these installations. **

**Following the ways of Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist) and Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), I intend to decieve readers—like said authors—by confusing them with overly obvious riddles just like I do to Naruto, when in fact there's always more to it, or isn't there? (winks) **

**Though Naruto may also see some answers and fellow readers refer to them as their sole source of answers, remember there's always more to it than what meets the eye... Shall we all refer to wise Kakashi's saying: "**_**We should always look underneath the underneath**_**"**

**Moving on, lolz, yeah... As for KiSwordsman, I'm really, really, **_**really**_** flattered... I mean to inspire someone is... wow... a really big... heh, for once I'm at loss—I'm speechless... heh. Well, other than that, I wish you the greatest of luck in your future projects.**

_**Dictionary:**_

**Volley**: a simultaneous rapid expression of something such as curses or protests; a discharge of missiles or other projectiles fired simultaneously; to say something forcefully or loudly and rapidly, or be spoken forcefully or loudly and rapidly; to move rapidly or loudly


	14. Gathers Momentum For A Spin

**Thinking of: **Mary's little lamb!!

**Eating: **Sweeney Todd's Pies!!

**Drinking: **Blueberry Umfkins

**Listening to: **Apologize by Timbaland ft. One Republic

**Feels: **hungry...

**Start**

Naruto waited...

Waited in the dark...

Waited in the cold...

Waited in the vast emptiness...

He wasn't exactly sure who he was waiting for... but just did anyway. Whoever it was that was going to get him had better hurry. He chafed his hands together blowing into them... or at least tried to. Apparently, his sense of touch gradually faded away as well. It was just a moment ago, his sense of sight had dissipated... and recently he began loosing his sense of touch...

He hugged himself in the dark... and waited...

His patience gradually diminished the longer he stayed there... wherever he was...

Another moment passed and he heard something... something far intelligible than a voice... far duller than footfalls. He held still and raised his head, focusing on that faint sound that escalated in terms of distinction... it was a familiar hammering that echoed from within him... throbbing a string of warmth through his veins, injecting his senses back in place as it stretched into every fibre of his body...

His drifting thread of awareness reattached itself into a far corner of his mind; it hauled him away from his state of nothingness and into the condition of his immobile body. His back relished the cool surface that pressed against it, he felt the humidity in his surrounding sap the moist out of his numb skin; he heard the constant cackling of flickering flames and felt the presence of another person.

His strength flowed back to his body like a river would the sea... then he heard himself breathe ever so slowly, noticing a red-orange sheet veil his sight. Slowly, he drew them apart, casting a horizontal flare of light, brashly stunning him for a moment. He winced, turned his head away, and decided to resume his attempt.

Gradually he parted his eyes open... from afar he saw a statuesque person sittingly nobly on a high-backed seat, its edges adorned by gold, its red cushion promised comfort.

"And so you have awakened" spoke a silky voice that belonged to a woman, echoing in... where ever he was.

Naruto turned his head and stared at a... high-vaulted ceiling, lit by dim red lights as dancing shadows licked its stucco surface. In the middle of it all was a circle that contained a triangle from within, its angles touching the round symbol, three figures of distorted people out of the circle facing the angles of the triangle. He grunted and pushed himself upright before slouching against his knees, his palm pressing against his forehead as he forced a rising migraine to ebb away.

"What do you want from me?" grunted Naruto, wincing at the absence of pain that each pulse throbbed in his head, it promised agony in the future and that would be the last thing he'd need in his current situation.

An eerie giggle resonated against the curved walls; he felt it vibrate against his chest. Turning his head towards the direction of the woman, he took in her features. A pale angular face stood out from raven-curtained fringes of hair and black clothing. She propped her chin delicately on her right fist and gazed at him.

"Ironically enough, I have something that you've been looking for..."

Naruto widened his eyes in response. To be honest, he didn't exactly know what he's been looking for, other than the given fact that it was his heirloom. A smirk graced the woman's lips, though she may be a mere mile away from him in the chamber they occupied, Naruto could see her well.

"There's a story in our bible that speaks of Jashin-sama's gift, a gift to be received by the deserving" she began

Naruto had been trying to recuperate the whole while and masked it through feigning interest during then, he wondered where he was, he wondered where Sakura was, he wondered how he ended up here, and he wondered where Sakura did.

"We believed that being a devout follower would please him and choose one of us, so we offered him sacrifices, performed rituals—an ancient tradition created, that lives on. It was all done, just so we may wield the mark he granted... the mark that is embedded on the back of your hand..."

"What are you trying to get at?" interrupted Naruto, bringing a knee to his chest to rest his right arm

He watched her eyes narrow in malice and her grin widen in covetousness; her free hand rested on the armrest, tapping her lanky fingers on it as it echoed uncannily along with the cackling fire that hung on brackets against the walls.

"Eons of years ago, one can only be Kage when he wields the mark. Centuries later, the mark disappears, thus began our religion, believing that Jashin-sama had abandoned us. We grew devout, our rituals grew demanding and our sacrifices graduated to the most extreme of measures... until finally, the new method of becoming Kage is to hack our way to the position"

She rose from her seat and Naruto tensed. Her cloak flapped against her high boots that tapped elegantly on the marble floor as she slowly strode towards him. He readily positioned his hand near a tag to summon a weapon and ended up cursing in the end when he realized the absence of his trenchcoat, he slowly backed away from her as she approached him.

"Rise" she commanded, her head held high when she was approximately five feet away

Out of adrenaline, he obliged and stood his ground with unrivaled courage. Eyes dangerously focused on her cat-like ones, which was gray and bore hints of green. Her height proved to be ridiculously tall, her boots must have escalated it; he faced her breasts when she came _face_ to face with him, and thus he craned his neck.

"How did you get it?" she spoke in a dangerously low tone

"My father..." began Naruto, "gave it to me..."

The intensity of her gaze grew suffocatingly threatening, it silenced every corner of the room until Naruto could no longer hear the fire... or at least that's what he thought. She drew away from their distance and turned her back on him, muttering some words until her shoulders shook.

Naruto's brows furrowed...

A giggle echoed in the room until he saw her throw her head back to release a howling laughter. He inwardly questioned her sanity as he began looking around to familiarize his surrounding. Walls embellished with red-tinted painting of men fighting men, spilling blood, revolved around the theme of gore. The floor... bore an interesting design, the junction where it meets the wall was painted black, making a large circle, and the lines that soon took form to him, seemed to resemble a larger scale of a triangle. Apparently, doors were not an option, seeing to it that he found none—Ugh!!

Naruto's eyes flickered about as he grasped his neck with delicated fingers. Nothing. Nothing was choking him, despite the fact that he felt the pressure tighten around his neck to the point where air can no longer pass through. He was on a gagging reflex, proving that within a matter of minutes, he may pass out from lack of air or die.

He saw the woman turn around, wringing her neck with a manic glint in her eye, a grin proved her amusement as he saw her face blacken. She released her own neck and Naruto's knees buckled to the relief, he sputtered against the marble floor, gasping feebly.

He heard her approach, saw her boots from his peripheral vision, and felt two cold fingertips gently press the area just behind the bone of his chin. He blinked in confusion before he felt the gradual pressure against his windpipe, his instinct to leap away failed when her chakra slipped around her body, momentarily sapping away his strength.

He grunted and winced as he rose to her wordless command, feet nearly dangling as she brought him at eye-level. His eyes flickered here and there, panicking slightly when his hands lay limp by his sides and failed to comply to his wish.

"Listen," she hissed, "only the people in my village had been doing their rituals, I have been the most devout of all. I have done _everything_ to attain my position. I _offered_ my honorable father's _blood_ to Jashin-sama, _defied_ my impudent _husband's_ words for Jashin-sama and _disowned_ my dubious _daughter_ for being _unfaithful_ to Jashin-sama and _this _is what I get?!"

Her chest heaved and Naruto's face blackened. She turned away from him muttering incoherent words about _should have killed_, _brother _and something about _mistake_ before turning back to him.

"You don't have _any_ idea what I've been through, and you do _not deserve his mark!!_ Those who are deserving receives it!! _I AM DESERVING!!_" with that, she tossed Naruto across the room, he grunted in pain as his back slammed painfully against the wall before he fell back down to the floor. He groaned before massaging the area behind his chin, glaring at the woman before him.

Though he couldn't exactly understand what she's trying to say, he guessed that she was the leader of a village he currently set foot in; a pyrrhic victory indeed. Her eyes bulged at the magnitude of hatred towards him and yet a manic grin displayed on her abstract demeanor. She was breathing heavily, her knees slightly bent, padded shoulders hunched as her gloved hands hovered to her sides in a claw-like manner.

"I... I understand now, my next goal is to kill you" she giggled maliciously, she licked her lips carefully before she set down some seals, muttering the summoning phrase. Smoke wisped around her forearms, ebbing away to reveal a pair of foreign weapon: it had a small silver shell covering her hands as she gripped its horizontal angle, from the knuckles of this weapon stood a foot-long blade... similar to Yoburo-sama's painting...

Recollecting herself, her face smoothly resumed its impassive demeanor. Raising her right weapon, she pointed it directly at Naruto's face and spoke, "Jashin-sama delivered you to me so that I may acquire his mark. Child, let Jashin-sama's judgement befall on you..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bound in chains and thrown in a dungeon, Sakura rolled to her knees, wrists chained together hung by her right side. She glared at her sneering captor's malicious grin before she bolted right back at her with both hands glowing in chakra.

"Maa, pinky, you're becoming too much of a trouble, ne?" she sighed, tapping Sakura's punch away, the girl's back turned to her as a result. Soreda planted her boots on the small of her back before nudging Sakura back in the far corner of the cell.

The smaller kunoichi stumbled on the cemented floor, groaning in pain as she struggled herself back to her feet. By then, the sound of irons clanking shut echoed before she spun and flew towards the iron bars with a chakra-laden kick.

Soreda, who stood behind the iron bars, stared at Sakura's endeavor with lethargic amusement. A deep dent formed on the metal, a smug smirk tugged at Sakura's lips.

"You're really just wasting your energy, pinky," sighed Soreda, leaning forward while tapping a finger against the dent, "this is chakra proof, you know?"

Sakura blinked feeling a foreign response at the soles of her feet, she sensed that it meant nothing but danger and desperately began yanking her foot free. Soreda sighed and straightened her back, hands on hips as she spoke airily, "ooh, you're in for it now"

She felt her chakra recollect themselves from a concentrated area, acting as if it had a mind of its own. Seconds later, it released a massive force blowing her back on the other end of the cell.

She yelped in pain as the stonewalls promised a nasty bruise on her back before collapsing on her rear. Her head hung low in a feeble attempt to look upright, at least her skull hadn't cracked in the process, but the blow it received began taking its toll on her.

She focused on Soreda, the petite woman who's features began to slightly blur in her eyes, the woman shook her head sympathetically before walking away. Sakura fought back in a fraught attempt to remain conscious, but worried for she was failing miserably.

Quickly gathering chakra to fortify her vigilance, the darkness began fading away, signifying the diminutive chance of success. She stayed like that until her chakra ran out in the expense of avoiding slumbering in oblivion. The moment she gained stability, she crawled to a safe corner of the dungeon and hugged herself.

The lunatic named Mirugi had torn Naruto away from her in her reckless attempt of escape. She remembered being knocked down before awaking in the hands of Soreda, binding her in chains... where, eventually she was thrown in here.

She sighed, shook her head, and pressed her forehead in the fold of her arms. It seemed as if she was hurled in a pit of trials the moment she accepted her task, it appeared as if the world was searching for ways to prove her unworthy... she wondered what had become of Naruto and where he was. What they were doing to him and how he was... her thoughts drifted to the night before, triggering her sudden breakdown as her sobs ricocheted in the cell.

Shaken by a sudden _psst_ throughout the dungeon, she sniffled quietly, waiting to hear it again before bawling once more.

"Don't cry, luv, or they'll hear you," whispered a voice from the nearby cell. Sakura blinked before cautiosly tottering to the iron bars. She pressed her forehead against it, trying to chance a look on the neighbouring cell to the right.

"Who's they?" asked Sakura, catching a glimpse of curly locks of golden hair, the closer she was, the stronger she sensed the presence of a male.

"The shadows..." he whispered back, "or that's what they call it... they eliminate those who disturb the peace down here... how'd you end up here, you don't seem like a fellow villager around these parts"

"My name's Haruno Sakura, I'm from Konoha," she began, palming her tears away from her cheeks "my friend and I stumbled near your village and they threw me in here... for reasons unknown..."

The man hummed carefully

"What about you?"

"You can call me Ichida; I was thrown here for trying to convince... my wife to lead a different life..."

Sakura furrowed her brows, "isn't that a little too... I dunno... _harsh_? I mean you were just trying... you seem like a nice person. You _are_ her husband, after all."

The man chuckled softly, like the way the wind would ruffle up leaves, "our culture is quite different in this village... I... I don't even know the name of this village anymore... it was once a noble ninja village... but its values had fallen away to make way for the extreme cult every villager was going through—but it's great to be in the presence of a ninja again... nice to meet you, Haruno-san"

Sakura sensed the lack in explanation and didn't buy the sudden end to it, instead she probed on, "my friend and I were ambushed by two of your villagers, their skills are those of an elite jounin and a lesser Kage... and yet they don't carry the name of your village—"

"The values of the ways of the ninja had long been forgotten... as I've said, our culture is different. People here value the name of Jashin more than they do with being a ninja... they kill in the name of Jashin, throw sado-masochistic methods to painfully bring an end to their victim's lives... it's quite sad, really" he sighed stepping away from the iron bars

Sakura's eyes trailed into the darkness of the dim corridors, faint fire that hung on the brackets of the walls provided, glowed serenely. She listened to the way he dragged his foot to the end of his cell. From the way he said it, explained it, and shared his own views... he didn't seem happy at all and she didn't entirely understand how such a good person ended up in a position he didn't deserve.

"There was one of us though... he forged his own forehead protector... trying to revive the ninja ways... Our Kage disliked it and fought him to the death..."

"What happened?" asked Sakura

When he didn't asnwer, she sighed and trudged back to her corner

"Will they ever let us out?" she inquired

...

She pressed her back against the wall...

...

She slid down to the floor...

...

She waited for an answer...

...

"You can only hope for your friend's rescue..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Unarmed and unprepared, Naruto dodged the vicious swipes of the woman as she came at him. He leaped away, frantically searching for an object that can prove itself to be a potential weapon but found none in the virtually bare room. He resorted to leaping to her _throne_ and lifted it, directing its legs at her.

Noting that it was actually made of gold, he began swinging at her with unexperienced maneauvers before she knocked it away from his grip. He inwardly cursed and resorted to dodging the swipes once more. Apparently, his chakra hadn't fully regenerated yet and needed to wait it out.

It happened in a split second when she lunged forth with her weapon; he sidestepped holding it in place (risking a deep cut in the skin of his left palm), spun around and threw a backfist at her stomach, successfully knocking her grip off the said weapon. The woman stumbled back before Naruto wielded it like she would on his right hand, the one with the deep cut began hissing as it healed in its own accord.

Immediately, a surge of energy deluged his system, triggering his chakra back to life.

She cursed and began charging towards him again—

He tugged the weapon off his hand—

She drew her weapon back—

He brought his fingers together in a cross

"**Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu**!!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that wasn't the only reason I was thrown here, I also tried teaching my daughter the ways of the ninja, taught her how to use her chakra... I s'pose that had been the last straw..."

"So you're a ninja?" asked Sakura, voice echoing as she stared at the stone walls that covered three parts of the solemn cell.

He chuckled, voice resonating from the other side as it reached her by slightly muffled means, "That was a long time ago..."

Sakura nodded, though she knew that he couldn't tell. She palmed the cemented floor, then perked up, "who are the shadows? What are they?"

"Ridiculously enough, they just mere guards down here... their skills match to those of jounin level, so to speak... like your captor... that lady... she's a special case though, as you've said, the level of a lesser Kage..."

Though she didn't remember mentioning which level each captor was, Sakura wanted to probe on, having a different idea work up in her mind made her too eager to pay attention to such little details, "so they're the ones that makes sure that the dungeon keeps quiet, right?"

"Right"

"And if it isn't, what happens?"

"They torture you to silence..."

"How? Do they like go in or something?"

The man chuckled once more, "I really can't tell since I've been quiet up until now, but every now and then, I'd hear the sound of the gates creaking open and shut, if there aren't new prisoners to be thrown in, wails of agony echo these walls"

A wicked smile framed Sakura's face, "so that means they _do_ enter these cells, so they _can _ torture the prisoners"

There was a momentary pause before Ichida spoke, "what are you planning to do? You can't possibly... you can't. No one has escaped these bars, how can you—you're not even sure if they enter the cells—"

"Ichida-san, you just mentioned that these _shadows_ are of jounin level. Why is that? So that they are armed and ready for any prisoners, making them capable of entering and exit the cells with a high survival rate."

"But no one has escaped, Haruno-san. _Not one_. How can you be so sure that you will?"

"Ichida-san, I am a kunoichi of Konoha." There was a thoughtful moment of silence before Sakura rose to her feet, adjusting her gloves as she flexed her hands, "for once in this village, we're gonna change that fact. There will be a breakout... believe it!"

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: Here is the web address for the image for that weapon The-Crazy-Woman-Naruto-is-Fighting-Against used "**img212.imageshack.us/img212/9641/katar111bh9.jpg**"**

**And I'm not discouraging anyone from solving the riddle, it's just that someone PMed me with an essay-like thing with under each line, goes his or her answer, stating that he or she "**_**obviously**_**" knows what the ending is and told me that my story sucks and that he or she should just continue writing it for everyone's sake.**

**I was honestly aggravated and infuriated, and instead of doing it on a personal scale, I did it publicly... I won't be mentioning names to save that person's reputation, but I've don it publicly to make it a harder impact. Person, you know who you are, consider yourself lucky I'm in a more forgiving mood right now, else I would have done worse, and you have no Idea what I'm capable of.**

**Other than that, thank you reviewers. I stopped speaking, begging for reviews when I grew tired of it, I only speak when necessary. The latter rant I've given out **_**was necessary**_**. This is to prove everyone that no one can walk all over me just because I don't talk all the time or recently. As a matter of fact, I have.**

**IF you think that I just gave up with asking reviews, never think that this story and I are "a sinking ship like the Titanic." If you, person, expect me to stoop down to your level so low that I will give up and "go in a corner and cry" as you said, think again. **_**Think Again**_** because you're wrong.**

**I don't do that, I don't deign myself for anyone at all unless necessary. And don't you ever dare add in the fact that putting up "useless words that no one can understand at all," you must be really stupid and fucking low! I do have a reference for those words and I use them for a reason, it's called **_**Emphasis**_**. There's a thing called **_**Dictionary**_** by the end of the installation, and if you can't even **_**think**_** about reading those words, then you must be **_**fucking**_** lower and **_**fucking**_** stupider than a shit pooped by some bimbo bitch's shit!**

**Now that's over with, I'm sorry about the inconvenience...**

**Oh yes, some may notice my **_**daily update**_**, I'm just making up the most of my freetime, My mom's handling my school files, I'm supposed to be studying for the entrance exams for college... heh, yeah right. Anyways, since I have an impatient nature, I've been typing since ten and kicked my pace up a notch, thus the quick types, then been scribbling notes of the story outline when out of the computer, so when I get back, I don't have to stare and wait for some magic to work.**

**Now, that's explained, I think it'll be quite impossible to wait for new stories out a week, since I also check my stories out via internet phone, so I keep my e-mail in check and I read mah stories out of boredom, if , let's say, I was waiting for some people or so. **

**But unfortunately, I think the day where the long updates are soon coming at hand. When I don't update for more than two days, you may expect that I'm in a place with no internet, since I flew back to the place where **_**college**_** is, and my typing will be done quite leisurely. Still have to fly between two countries for very, very complicated matters based on school and immigration... yeah... oh well... better enjoy what we have here**

**I don't even know if you guys managed to take that all in, heh, but it's always quite interesting to know how the author's life goes, right?**

_**Dictionary:**_

**Relished: **to enjoy or take great pleasure in an experience

**Covetousness: **to have a strong desire to possess something that belongs to somebody else

**Peripheral: **at or relating to the edge of something, as opposed to its center

**Pyrrhic victory: **a victory won at such great cost to the victor that it is tantamount to a defeat

**Tantamount: **equivalent to a particular thing in effect, outcome, or value, especially something unpleasant

**Ricocheted: **to hit a surface and bounce, traveling away in a different direction


	15. Claims To Add An Extension

**Thinking of: **Silent Hill's logic... is it even supposed to make wicked sense? Glomps, I love its ambiguity, and do not fear; the ending of this story shall never adopt the ending of SH's... I hate weird endings... I feel unsatisfied and unreasonably sulk-ish... O.o, that a word?

**Eating: **Michael Scofield's rotting toes... I know, I'm just random here... do not take it serious, but seriously, Michael Scofield ish the shmex!!

**Drinking: **the concoction from Dr. Jekyl's cupboard... bahahaha!!

**Listening to: **Soulja Girl by Soulja Boy ft. Mario (an untouchable area... dangit! I typed!)

**Feels: **scared of monsters in the closet!! (Gotta go get that frenchbread in the cubby!! n.n)

**Startf**

Soreda plopped heavily on the leather armchair of the library, resting her tired feet on the smooth mahogany desk as she opened a book to read. The dim fire casted upon the fireplace cackled monotonously as shadows danced over the carpeted floor and on to the wooden shelves that lined the walls.

She turned a page and read on, ignoring another presence that sat next to her.

"So you saw him, I told you I should have done it" muttered Mirugi

"Old man, even if you are my master, it doesn't mean I always have to listen to you," sighed the woman, too tired to listen to his relentless lectures

"You know, you shouldn't be reading that"

Lifting her eyes lethargically from her book, she stared at him and spoke, "she no longer cares nor do I about her, what difference would it make now?"

The man rose from his seat, "_that_ is exactly what brought you in _this_ condition, see?"

Soreda rolled her eyes and resumed reading, "I don't consider her as my mother after what she did, it doesn't matter who's side I'm on now. Consider it payback to make her realize her own mistake. Someone has to wake her up some day"

Mirugi quieted down and sighed heavily before slumping back on his chair, "some sacrifices are necessary, child. Though she did those, I may assure you one thing, she hesitated"

Soreda snorted, "hell yeah, she should—do you hear that?"

"What?"

Soreda closed her book with one deft hand and dropped her boots quietly to the floor, replacing them with dainty cloth slippers bound to leather-padded soles; she sat on the edge of her seat, body leaning towards the table as she faced the door ten feet away from where she stood. Her keen eyes focused hard on the door, waiting for something, listening for something... hoping for something

"What is it—"

"_Shh!_" she hissed, a finger shot to her lips and eyes widened in irritation, never sparing a look at the old man. She rose to her seat at the sound of hurried footsteps from outside, she always despised the noise albeit she wore noisy accessories in almost every limb of her body—a sorry excuse that they pick up the vibration in the air for her awareness—

_**SLAM. Thud.**_

She furrowed her brows and slightly drew her head back before striding towards the door and flung it wide open. A cloaked man fell limp by her boots; it was one of the Shadows, the guards of the dungeons. She sneered, stepped over him, and drew out a dagger with ribbons that flowed from beyond its binding. Looking at both ways of the corridors, she stepped out and faced right.

More shadows nudged past her, voices echoing down the dim halls

"A_ prisoner has escaped!!_"

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Sakura had difficulty shucking aside the mantle of guilt that constantly drew upon her when she found a moment of refuge in the shadows. Ironically, enough, those _Shadows_ are now on the move.

She recalled what happened and couldn't believe that she made it through, she was aware that her plan was flawed but never imagined that she'd manage to escape. It happened when she threw a fit, loud enough to shatter her very ears. Of course, that was done after summoning forth a simple clone, while she was under the technique of Jiraiya's infamous Stealth Mode.

She stood by the door, waiting for someone, and when it opened, she slipped out from its back and through the exit just before it shut closed. She watched the Shadow, draw out something before it stabbed her clone, replacing its agonizing wails with splinters of wood. By then, she had turned to Ichida's cell and demanded the location of where the keys were to set him free.

Here, he defied her actions and prefered staying behind, handing her a scroll to keep safe before he ushered her to leave before they got to her. As a result, the Shadow in her cell began hollering for backup, where she then darted out of the dungeon.

Now finding refuge on a complicated corner of the ceiling—yes, a ceiling, bound to its surface by chakra—she figured that it was inevitable that she knocked one man with the gift of stealth ina desperate attempt to remain out of sight. She watched him fall limp against a door. Just as she decided to jump back down, the door swung open and a familiar brunette stepped out: Soreda.

She watched her draw out a dagger before several more shadows headed for the dungeon. She held her breath and waited for the woman to move. She knew she couldn't stand a chance against her, thus, couldn't risk being seen. Compared to her level, she was a chuunin for Pete's sake!

"_A prisoner has escaped!!_" echoed a voice

And for the love of Kami, she followed the Shadows. She rolled to her stomach and began crawling upside down. She remembered watching one of those horror movies of ghost children moving like so, before dismissing the thought at the realization of survival.

Switching once more to Stealth Mode, she effortlessly landed on the floor like a whisper and pressed her back against the wall, merely wincing when she felt its mossy surface against the back of her thighs.

An archway to her right led to several corridors and paths, she peered over the wall—immediately drawing back from the sight of more men filing in. She winced slightly at the loss of energy; the soldier pill she had taken from Naruto back in the cave began to wear off, she was glad that she took the whole case from him. Slowly reaching in to her shuriken holster, she drew one pill for energy and chewed it quietly, eliminating mortal necessities as she swallowed.

The artificial energy sapped her fatigue to the point that she no longer felt it. Currently, her top priority was to search for Naruto, seeing to it that she won't find him easily in this baleful labyrinth. She closed her eyes, sifting through the atmosphere, searching for that pinprick of a presence. She began scowling when more guards came trooping towards the dungeon, by then, they would have figured that she was no longer there.

'_Kami-sama, please help me find Naruto_' taking in a deep breath, she carefully peered through the edge of a wall she leaned against. Sensing the absence of danger she stepped out, it wasn't long before her mind registered the warmth that pressed against her mouth, and the other that draped over her chest, hauling her back against a great surface of warmth.

A voice breathed into her ear

"_Found you_"

Sakura's eyes only widened as one name rang clearly in her hazy head: Soreda.

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The battle had gone wilder and lasted longer. Naruto failed miserably in his attempt to find a way out, managing to retrieve the weapon he tossed aside, he wielded it and used it as a shield from time to time in the midst of throwing punches right at her.

He conjured another dozen clones wielding the same weapon as he charged towards her; this time, he was slowly gaining the upperhand, seeing to it that she received more blows than he did. As time flew by, Naruto grew accustomed to the foreign weapon at a snail's pace and bravely maneauvered it with crude swipes.

The woman, proving years of experience, danced away in succession, "I'm impressed with your quickstudy on my Katar"

"So that's what it's called," remarked Naruto,

"Indeed it is" she stood her ground and straightened her back, "and this..." she began forming one-handed seals with her free hand before slamming her palm on the katar's sleeve, smoke wisped in sight before she slashed it away, displaying a more sophisticated version of it.

It reached a clean-cut up to her forearm, meaning no edges at all, and seemed to be bound in black leather. The blade once adorned with some complex design was now replaced with a sleek blade that seemed half a foot longer. She raised it and pointed it towards Naruto, "... this is Jashin's Judgement for you"

Naruto shifted his foot back and beckoned a string of chakra from the Kyuubi. The demon's aura slithered out into view and mingled with his in deadly elegance. Lines on his cheeks now etched into distinction of wily whiskers, hair on his head grew stray as they stood. His fangs elongated as his sneer bared them so and the tint in his eyes harbored the presence of the demon within him.

The woman narrowed her eyes, masking her anticipation as her sneer disappeared. The sense of solemnity drew in like it brewed the storm. "If Jashin-sama grants you the favor of this battle, you shall at least be worthy enough to know my name"

Naruto drew his stand, fighting his sense of logic to remain intact instead of giving in to the mindless bloodlust the Kyuubi urged him

"My name is Hisakata..."

Naruto's brows slowly lifted from anger as he repeated, "Hisakata..."

_Hisakata... moon..._

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"Don't move" breathed Soreda, her voice calm and deadly and in her hands a frightened Sakura. The pinkette breathed heftily, her eyes wide and wildly flickered as thousands of ideas formed and faded, her hands feebly clawing at the one that held her mouth, oblivious with the dawning events.

Her captor lingered in a wall's darkness, hiding with Sakura along. They watched shadows cast over them as they passed them by, and when silence finally reigned, the pinkette calmed down finally sensing the absence of bloodlust.

"If you want to get to your buddy, you'll have to follow me," she muttered before throwing a familiar coat to her face. Sakura caught immediately and realized that it was Naruto's trenchcoat, slinging it on, she hurried her pace, tailing after Soreda.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Sakura, keeping her voice low enough

"Do you have the scroll with you?" she asked

"What?" breathed Sakura, slightly holding her breath in anticipation

"The one—your neighbor" she sighed heavily, raising a hand before she used it to hold Sakura back against the wall. Her head turned to her left, watching in silence. Sakura held her breath, yet again, and surveyed the woman scanning the area before she felt the pressure on her skin alleviate, she beckoned the pinkette and lowered her voice, "the recent one"

"This?" asked Sakura, drawing it out from her silken robe. Soreda looked over her shoulder and nodded

"What you have there is something that can help you save your lives," explained the woman

"Why are you doing this?" asked Sakura, "where is Naruto?"

She watched the brunette turn to the left and followed her hastily, waiting for an answer.

"What I'm doing now doesn't matter to anyone but myself. And as your fishcake buddy... let's say his time is ticking" a morbid smile crept to her face just as she hid it from the kunoichi's view

This... woman, named Soreda... really confused her. First, she tried to kill Naruto, then she molested him, now she tells her he's in trouble and is actually helping her out: a real mystery to Sakura, indeed. Though confused at the moment, she was in a desperate situation to get to Naruto and had no choice but to follow her else, she'd die in the end with him.

Concealed in the cloak of hush, they crept through the corridors, dodging watchful eyes and slithering through the path of darkness. What seemed like hours was actually a mask of minutes, but passing identical walls of confusing patterns made no difference in the change of time. Finally, they reached a certain wall adorned in the theme of blood and gore, proven by pictures of men killing men.

"My father told me stories when I was young..." began Soreda, an undulating finger gently tracing an invisible line on the carved walls, "stories about magical people who moved like ghosts in the night. He sang lullabies to me, songs that my mother forbade me to listen to. As I grew older, I found books... books hidden away in the most secrets of places and I found them... through the help of lullabies... I read them and used the lullabies..."

Sakura narrowed her eyes as they approached the darkness, fire had halted by the entrace to this area, and she drifted miniscule strands of chakra around her to feel and see through the dark. She listened in to Soreda's footfalls, and felt her through her presence.

It wasn't long before a gentle glow illuminated in the darkness, revealing a silhouette of Soreda's radiant face. She eyed a wall with certain interest and Sakura noticed the way they gleamed as she approached her.

"This one... I've read about recently," she said, lifting whatever she used as a light closer to the wall, it was a symbol of a circle with a triangle within it. Outside of it were three figures—she could not describe—facing each of its angles, "now I know why my mother never let me read those books or hear those songs... because they were clues... clues that lead them to secrets forbidden..."

She turned to Sakura, her voice dying to whispers, "and I've never expected to be a part of one"

Before the pinkette could ever understand what Soreda meant, the woman took her hand that held the said scroll. She held Sakura's wrist in place, drew her dagger, and slipped its blade between the space of her palm and the scroll before sliding it down her delicate skin. Sakura winced, the horror in her eyes focused on Soreda. Before anything could be done about it, she found her palm firmly pressed in the centre of the symbol, the scroll trapped against her dainty fingers and the cold wall as her unsullied blood trickled down to the dark ink.

"What are you—"

Before the kunoichi could finish her sentence, she felt the world tug at every inch of her skin and spin her around before she felt a foreign pressure drive her front hard against the wall, ramming the air out of her lungs. She rolled her eyes in slight nausea before she felt her body grow light, feet slipped off from a firm ground, senses nullified as she heard nothing but the dull rhythm of her heart; the wall's inked areas slightly flickered in light before she felt like... falling...

Her hand tore away from the wall as her body did, the scroll clutched tightly in her hand... the world rushed past her eyes, the wall rapidly growing smaller and smaller. Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw two figures parrying blows, one of them gaining the upperhand and it wasn't a blonde. That's right... it _wasn't_ a blonde. But that was besides the point, she was rapidly approaching them... from above. Quickly, she turned her upper torso, followed by her legs landing with chakra-padded feet like a cat.

Her hand... her free hand, planted on the floor and manifested a slight fissure as a crevice spiderwebbed out from her landing. She wobbled slightly at the sudden force and palmed the sides of her head, forcing her balance to resume. Her vision was out of place as she saw double; a woman relentlessly slashed at a blonde, the blonde backing away in defense as his worn shield flowed with each blow.

She rose to her feet but stumbled forth, a hand with the scroll firm on the ground as she straightened her legs. She rose ever so slowly, straightening her back as the sound of fire cackling came within an earshot along with the eerie clash of dull metal upon sharp. She looked ahead before she saw Naruto stumble back out of balance, out of fatigue and (she dared not add) out of hope.

For she was his hope, and his hope was here; Sakura unraveled the scroll out of sheer instinct and raced to Naruto—with the extended parchment flapping behind her in elongated length—just as the woman raised her foreign weapon, standing there with all the glory as her triumphant demeanor and arrogant aura plundered precious time. Sakura injectected chakra to her legs, propelling herself towards the fray just in time.

And time halted before it resumed. Eyes widened as blood splattered erratically. Mouths sank in frowns in mutual defeat. All staggered from their stand, Naruto for the unexpected flash of hope, Hisakata for the unexpected turn of events and Sakura for the unexpected déjà vu turned nostalgia.

The woman drew back her katar, blade-slicing skin after puncturing innards. Naruto limped forth, hands gingerly outstretched to trace the fragile features of Sakura's face whom he worried for. The pinkette smiled weakly, gasping slightly before tottering over to the blonde. She winced and choked before falling on her knees, a hand placed right beneath her chest, clutching a puddle that dribbled past her fingers and stained the mesh fabric of her shirt and down to her shorts and down to her pale thighs.

A moment of silence granted Naruto the luxury to watch Sakura start the inutile process of healing herself. She choked and winced from time to time as she curled her body smaller and smaller, whispering in haggard breaths, "I'll live..."

And with that she collapsed, Naruto with his head hung low rose to his feet bearing an ominous aura, the faltering glow of the Kyuubi's chakra flickered back into life, ravaging the surface of Naruto's skin as it devoured the remnants of his chakra. His rough breathing grew to husky, rough growls, nails morphed into claws, gripping the scroll in his right hand tighter.

Hisakata watched with widened eyes and refused to step back... when in fact it was fear itself that eliminated all forms of common sense and shut down her natural instincts. She watched the once feeble boy contort into a beastly form she never experienced encountering. The scroll in his hand hissed violently as it billowed into thick wisps of smoke around his forearms, it snapped and cackled against his skin, and he felt the icy blast of sensation deluge his veins.

He lingered in the overflowing essence of a demon locked away from within him; he lashed at the smoke concealing his forearms, revealing a defined version of Hisakata's meek katar. Its sleeves reached up to his forearms, sleek surface with zero angular edges bound in keen black leather; its blade grew half a foot longer—a weapon in each hand.

Hisakata held her breath, a thought forming in her mind, '_Impossible_'

The predator of the night had triggered the anger of the prey, and the hunter now becomes the hunted. Handicaps were no longer an option, both were in the same condition, both had nothing to lose now, and both were going all out within a fragile break of sombre silence.

The battle begins tonight... where the night shall bathe _beneath a_ _bloody moon_...

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_**RECENTLY ADDED EXTENSION**_

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_"Tell you what, luv; the day you give up the ways of the ninja, them magical people will send an angel to stop that from happening"_

_"Why is that, daddy?"_

_"Because you were meant to be among them. You were meant to restart the era of ninjas. You will bring an end to the leader's tyranny through your unyielding faith in your old man..."_

Soreda drew her dagger out as she heard the faint presence of those who lurked in the dark. Those poor souls chained to the earth with a mortal bind, preventing them the freedom to drift into their eternal sanctuary. But of course, not all rumors stay true to their words since they clumsily tumble out of the lips of ignorant mortals... those who are of her kind...

She extinguished her only source of light, allowing the darkness to devour her with both blades drawn. She was about to commit treason, she was about to fight the dark with the dark, and she was about to fortify her faith in her old man...

She drew back a careful step, lifting her dagger in a readied mode. She closed her eyes and felt their presence, their breathing, their stench and their thirst for blood. They knew the prisoner had escaped, her scent strongly imbued the air along with hers, proving her to be the sole criminal in the scene. But why should there be justice for the unjust? What difference would it make if one commited a crime against a criminal? Nothing.

Because tonight, fighting in the honor of their leader meant nothing to her at all.

"_She's here!_" hissed one voice

She tightened her grip and eased a smile. Nothing... nothing could scare her now.

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And a flash of blur flickered here and there, moving soundlessly throughout the marble floor; it was the silent dance of deadly elegance that promised to neglect mercy as each warrior's time ticked away in essence; distorted colors of beige and black appeared and reappeared quicker than a blink of an eye.

With a sudden twist of erratic events, both were tricked by the capricious glint of light, believing that each found a faulty opening on the other and maneauvered their blades for a killing blow—

_**CLANG!**_ Became the result as metal upon metal met with a sonorous note of stalemate, both held their breaths as they maintained their pristine focus and tantamount strength. Muscles wavered slightly as their owners chipped in ounces and ounces of pressure until their arms shook, until their legs shook, until both sneered in difficulty. Never allowing the slightest flawed slip to sweep in and claim their victory, it just took one opening to end the battle, and neither deigned to that requirement.

The Kyuubi injected its unrivaled strength, with a shift of his foot he lunged forth, the woman winced once and dug her heel—a mistake that took its toll as she slipped on the smooth surface and found herself flying back towards a wall.

Naruto kicked away from his place and raced with Hisakata's landing, she angled her body to face him and began parrying blows within a blur of a movement reflecting light into random corners of the room with Naruto. The moment she touched the ground the two kicked away once more, locked into the breathless battle of inhuman speed.

Managing to sneak behind the woman with a drawn blade, he blocked her's with his free hand, it was a moment of a mirrored move prior to dodging, aimed and swiped into thin air before Naruto blocked his head at the same time he dropped into a squat, followed up by a successful sweep kick.

As the woman slowly fell to the ground, a barrage of slicing resonated in the air before she regained footing and swung around like a miniscule tornado, forcing Naruto away to claim her firm ground. Her blade panged against the flat surface of his katar as he held it up in defense, chancing a glance from the slit he provided, he waited for her pause... and that was it.

With a shift of his foot, they engaged in another heated battle, precise movement and gracious flow of limbs and torso made it a masterpiece if the intent was to not kill. Each warrior's time ticked away in essence, as both silently danced with deadly elegance in hopes of attaining the promised kill; distorted colors of beige and black appeared and reappeared quicker than a blink of an eye, feet smoothly shifting with the rapid rhythm their weapons set on each other, arms flowing to block darting to blow with unrivaled precision.

From a mortal eye it seemed as if both fighters just stood in front of each other, dancing as hands moved with a deathly slow pace that each flickering flame of light reflected on their identical katars. They moved at such inhuman speed that it challenged the laws of nature, it just took one more impossible power—the result of strength and speed combined—to escalate into the next level where one will truly master the secrets of the speed of light.

To maintain such possibility required years upon years of long battles that lasted days to weeks to months and so on. Or, in the rarest occasions, acquiring unlimited chakra to fuel one's mortal capacity. Either one fell into a category, either one was abled, either one proved it possible, but only one shall remain standing.

It was a near stalemate when Naruto swiped with his right katar, here a sudden calculation of instinct kicked in and a wave of impulse overshadowed his being. It happened in a quarter of a second where Hisakata lunged forth with an outstretched Katar, believing that she slipped past an opening, when in fact, Naruto sidestepped and held out his katar to the side: a spray of unholy liquid came into effect.

Her eyes widened as she held her position, standing like a statue was how she stood, eyes painfully focused to the farthest corner of her right to catch a glimpse of her target. There he stood with a resolved figure, standing straight, standing tall, standing unharmed but the slight cuts formed on his clothing where smooth skin were displayed.

In the base of her throat, a channel of liquid accumulated, its coppery air flitted about in her mouth before it silkily escaped, trailing lusciously past her lips, dribbling from her chin, and splattering with a promising sound on the marble floor.

Naruto stood his ground, never wanting to witness what such destructive weapon was capable of. Like her, he stood his ground, like a statue, but strong. His outstretched hand... his right hand, erected horizontally to his side, the clean weapon now stained with the crimson blood of its first kill.

She slowly began swaying, approaching the ground, stomach first, head buried in her outstretched arm as her blood pooled into a massive sheet of defeat. What had happened? How can one boy, so unexperienced, defeat her so effortlessly?

It was her reckless manuever that cost her her life. He simply moved aside with his blade outstretched a dead giveaway of a hesitant blow. She ended her own life by that last, rash move. It was her fault for stepping into the gateway of her death; it was her fault for not granting time to take its place for her to unravel her true strength.

Naruto approached the dying body, muttering his deepest apology and admitting his honest reluctance

"Don't" she rasped, he moved in, carefully lying her in a supine state where pain took over its nastiest, merciless way of sapping her life, "it was my fate... you deserve to take my life... son of Jashin..."

Naruto shook his head, a solemn smile nudging his lips, "I am not your demon god's son... I am Namikaze Minato's son..."

She closed her eyes as a serene façade took over her body, her soul growing evanescent with each passing second, "tell my daughter..." she rasped, Naruto leaned forth, "tell my husband..."

She gurgled out more blood, a tear escaped the corner of her eye as she drew back her contented smile, "tell them that I was sorry..."

Her voice slowly died to mere whispers as her grip on to life gradually slipped past her fingers, "please tell them... that I... lo..."

Naruto lowered his head and hunched his shoulders... he didn't understand... he knew she was a good person... once in her life she was good. He knew that she could change her ways if given the chance, he knew life had so much to offer for her. But he pitied her for taking granted over that, he pitied her for throwing all the chances in her life over some ridiculous cult that was worth nothing...

If only they met under different circumstances... if only they were given enough time to even start out a civilized conversation... he knew he could have change her... he knew... he knew it...

A warm touch planted on his shoulder, immediately he looked up, roughly rubbing the rivulets tumbling out from the corners of his eyes by his wrist as he jutted it out from the weapon. It wasn't Sakura that greeted him though, it was a woman... with deep brown hair... and exotic green eyes, clad in harem pants and a fancy string bra...

"Yes...?" rasped Naruto... he was exhausted... mentally... physically... emotionally... and spiritually...

The kind woman smiled sadly, her cheeks glinted, a telltale sign of tears... "all is well now..." she said reassuringly

He smiled back, feeling the Kyuubi withdraw from its purpose as it slipped back into the stronghold of his navel... "Sakura..." he muttered, eyes drooping heavily as he gradually started the process of nodding in and out of sleep

"How is she...?" he mumbled... trying to yank his drifting mind back in place. Out of his blurred vision, he saw her offer a hand. He feebly reached out for it and rose... accidentally breaking his delicate string of consciousness as his mind slipped out from his unwavering grip, drifting away into a dreamless slumber...

"_Safe..._" was what he heard

"_She's safe_" was what relieved him

_**To Be Continued...**_

_**(PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS INSTALLATION HAD BEEN RECENTLY EDITED)**_

**A/N: I know, it feels a tad bit short, since it is. Lol, this is the key ingredient to begin brewing all the ingredients in my wicked couldron. Bahahaha!! I know, after two **_**down**_** installations of nothing but pure procrastination and utter tedium, this is where I hope you all start sliding to the edge of your seat before your move back to the middle only to realize that this installation ends at a freakishly annoying Cliffy! **

**Lolz, Cliffy, meet reader, reader meet Cliffy. Learn to hate each other with the "I Hate You" version of the Barney Song as I begin typing hysterically on the next one!! Weeee!!**

**I know... O.o, I had a moment of sugar rush back there... thanks to Mrs. Fields cookies!! Lolz, I'm advertising them now!!ZOMG uber randomnity (is that even a word?) who cares?!**

**Ahem... getting into more serious affairs, there might not be any Dictionary extensions here since I'm quite sure and well confident that all of you are professionals with the words that I use, and if you don't, post it up in the review or PM the list of words you don't get and I shall insert them in the next installation!!**

**Bahaha!! On a little uberty small side note, I just want to awe and marvel at Silent Hill's lack of logic and the overflowing ride of ambiguity where senseless conversations take place. Hah! I know, it's like the opening of this installation, but unlike Silent Hill (specifically talking about Silent Hill2 game), I have reasons for throwing in some random scenes. Don't worry, I won't leave anyone unsatisfied... unless there's a mighty good reason for it.**

**Oh yes, and in addition to that, this story has been filtering avid readers who are patient and does not judge the overall by its first chap. I'm just proud of those who made it this far, lolz, special thanks to **_**show.me.the.stars**_**,**_** Hail The Wolves, animefan28**_**, **_**Blackheart Syaoran **_**(respectively) for reviewing more than five times, heh. I know, O.o, I really tallied the reviews... out of boredom of course... and sheer procrastination... **

**Hey, if any reviewer out there claims to have reviewed more than five times, please PM and I shall mention you in the next installation n.n **

**Keep your socks on, coz Chapter Sixteen is on the way!!**

_**Dictionary (dang it, my words never stay true when it comes to conclusions):**_

**Inutile: **Of no use or service


	16. Grows Very Confusing

**Thinking of: **helping Michael Scofield's breakout!

**Eating: **Cereal

**Drinking: **nothing

**Listening to: **She's Like a Star by Taio Cruz ft. Corinne Bailey Rae

**Feels: **Happy...

**Start**

All knew that they were entering the gates of death by the time they set foot in that ominous corridor. Though no whimpers or wails resonated through those walls, the dull thud the ground grunted was the loudest proof of sure death to their acute hearing.

Holding fast to the judgement they claimed to receive from Jashin, they ventured in with ignorant passion, clinging on their line of duty. Little did they know that taming the dark with the same element promised nothing else but their unsated lust for blood.

Trained to accept their fate, their life was worth nothing if they didn't even grasp that moment to deem themselves otherwise. It was a sad moral they were forced to accept in time, else they had nothing left to honor as they die.

When one steps into the fray, they set their own macabre dance and challenged the unrivaled agility and inhuman stealth of the one who merged with the cloak of blinding surreptitiousness. Though they drew out their long blades and flailed them about in the dark with practiced accuracy, it was a matter of taking chances and hoping that they hit their target, too blind to realize that it was their fellow comrade that fell victim to their own hands.

None had the luxury to spare the other's life, all gambled the each other's survival just to bring an end to what they assumed was their enemy; they were all on their own, expected to watch their own backs. It was quite ridiculous to jump in and play hero, when it was obvious that this fight was designed to eliminate any survivors. A bleak scenario was what these great men marched into and reluctance was a choice none can spare.

These Shadows were the villagers' pride; to Soreda's eyes, their status was their one-way ticket to sudden death, they were a self-destructing army built for this night to come. The sickening sound of blood squirting out, metal hitting flesh and the muffled yelps were all dismissed as she watched the useless ones fall sooner than intended.

The game hadn't even started and more than half fell victim to the genjutsu she set upon the corridors. Though she kept a stoic façade, she was breaking down deep within; shadows positioned in the frontline proved their worth through the lack of years and experience for they were mere soldiers younger than she was.

When the tiring scene of manslaughter subsided and the last had fallen, a smothering cloak of hush draped over them for a fleeting moment before a new batch flooded through the hall, avoiding the fresh corpse for the journey into the dark. They paused in their steps and felt the air, sensing for any source of life.

Heads turned ever so slightly until the one who first entered eeriely turned his hooded head to the right. She watched with a lax gaze, nonchalantly leaning against the wall with her foot propping right beneath her; arms folded across her chest as her hand wielded a lone dagger. They were, no doubt, the batch she led and taught and basically raised. The elite army she had high hopes for.

It was such a shame to throw away such a good investment, but she was in no condition to prioritize over such matters.

"My mother also failed me," she muttered, peering through the shadows of their hood as she watched the young man's blue eyes widen with shock and well with tears. He was the youngest of their batch, the newest in the team; he was in his early teens, an orphan whose parents died from an attempt to execute the most extreme of all sacrifices like the rest.

"Soreda-danna...?" he whispered softly, lowering his stance, "why are you... why?"

Her eyes slightly narrowed, raising her guard from exposing sympathy, "I'll give you the decency to make the first blow, child"

The boy shook his head, "you were more than what my mother ever was..." his voice cracked as he took a step back, a tear glimmer in the dark as it escaped his hood.

She swung her weight off the wall and raised her dagger, "I was"

With a clean swipe from her dagger, the hood fell down with a loud thud, rolling towards the end of the exit and stopping by the foot of another. She clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the hilt, forcing a smirk to carve into her unfathomable face, "I never taught any of you to show affection... I raised you all to be ruthless killers... not pathetic little boys—"

"He was only _fourteen_, my lady" one hollered, the one by the exit, "you _loved_ him like a son, like you did us all"

She hung her head low, "My mistake boys..." she raised her head, "now prove me wrong and show me no mercy"

She watched with an imperturbable mask, peering through everyone's hoods as she glanced at the young faces of men she knew well. All the horror in their eyes was more than enough to tear her sanity and mercilessly rip her soul from the worthless lump of flesh she was thrown into. She knew all of them well; these young boys were orphans who had nothing left in the world...

The youngest that she killed was an act she would hate herself for all the grudge she can bury her human emotions with. She hoped that it was enough to fuel her cold heart to hack her whole army down. She hoped that it was enough to hack her whole army down. She hoped that it was enough to fuel them with fury to bring her down with them.

A second later everyone disappeared, only to reappear lifeless as they fall immobile on the ground. She sliced through her path with a statuesque face, the one she'd wear when in battle. Each shift of her blade planted the seed of hatred within her flesh, corroding her humanity along. Each boy she took on was a piece of herself she destroyed, though her body moved flawlessly robotic in the dark, every fibre in her body strongly protested and resisted for the sake of sparing a life.

Her face contorted into grief as she continued her ministrations, a deep gash carving into her heart as she bled greatly from within. None of these men reached past the age of nineteen, she knew their potential to have a whole life ahead of them and it ached her heart to bring an end to all that.

She stolidly stood in the middle of the inert corridor, her head tilted back up as she blankly stared at the last piece of material left immaculate from blood, the ceiling. She couldn't marvel at the deed she had done, it simply reflected the monster she really was. She knew that these boys were much more than what they presented before her... she felt the sickening feeling that they let her take them down with ease... the very idea that they didn't even try when she knew what they were capable of... somewhat haunted her.

Sharply turning her head to the wall with the insignia of a triangle within a cirlce, she tossed her dagger in the middle, the force she set upon on it impressviely buried an ample amount of the metal through the marble wall, fresh blood leaked out from the crevice. The insignia burst into flames the moment blood touched it, spiderwebbing away from the embedded blade, it devoured her surrounding and the bodies that haphazardly scattered about like a flashover would.

A scowl set on her face, disgusted by the exchange of her efforts.

If one didn't bear Jashin's Judgement or tied their soul to the bearer, it required for one's hands to be stained with the fresh blood of a hundred souls. It was exactly what she offered and didn't resist the searing heat clambering its way to her body, it forced its way through her flesh and it tugged at every inch of her existence into the sea of blinding pain. She knew she didn't deserve to endure it all, and felt filthy all the more.

She scowled in agony as her knees gave way the moment her balance tumbled from her command. The edges of her vision ate the darkness away from her eyes, making way for a brighter room with walls adorned with a painting of men fighting men in the theme of gore and blood. Fire that hung on the brackets of the walls licked the patch of darkness away in the grand chamber.

She grabbed her middle and rolled over to her side before curling into a ball. Something burned from her insides as it ate their way out of her skin. Grunting in dissent, she forced her way to her knees with her shoulders hunched before firmly planting her feet on the ground.

The pain immediately ebbed away and she drew in a deep shaky breath. She examined her surrounding and found the pinkette lying in a growing pool of blood. Due east of where she stood were two more people, a blonde kneeling before a familiar female, also lying in a growing pool of blood.

She swallowed as she tottered towards them with unsteady strides, her head elevating slightly the closer she was. Outstretching a hand towards the conscious body, she planted it gently on his shoulder, began the procedure of sapping his warmth that continued the cycle of his life, and relished the warm surge of energy now coursing through her veins.

The blonde slowly peered over his shoulder, a drowsy mist gradually glazing over his bleaming blue eyes. Her heart sank when he unknowingly ignited the nauseating sense of guilt she snuffed out a moment ago, he mumbled

"Yes...?"

She drew in a deep breath, her energy regenerating; she lied, "all is well now" she reached her hand out, and he grabbed it with his right only falling limp at the final process of stealing the remnants of his strength. She caught him by his arms before gently lying him down next to the dying woman.

Immediately she replaced his position and traced a careful hand on her open gash, staining her hand with more blood. Her lips quivered as she gingerly pushed the hanging innards back in her stomach and cover the two-inch wide wound with a firm hand, she began her process of resurrecting the woman as she felt the strength she foraged roll away from her grasp.

Her face tightened, depriving the need to rest, while watching the woman's eyes flitter back to life. The icy cold sensation began to swathe her feet and crawled to her ankles, draining her ability to feel, and yet she endured it until she saw the woman blink.

"Safe..." she breathed, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "she's safe..."

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"Focus, _Naruto_"

"Can someone remind me why I'm doing this again?" asked Naruto, burying his head in the fold of his arms after sliding the tome across the table, knocking out some scrolls out in the process

"I might as well say that myself," said Soreda ever so quietly, planting her palm on the surface of the table with the other on her hip as she narrowed her eyes on Naruto

"How many times do I have to tell you, I _don' wanna rule this village_" breathed Naruto as he lifted his head up

"House rules, _Kage-sama_, we all go by the book now," said Soreda swinging her weight off the desk

Naruto scoffed, "I'm not even a _Kage, _yet," randomly pointing toward the books, he added, "They said I still have to go through some process of some paperwork—"

"_That_" interrupted Soreda, slamming both palms on the desk, "was before you came" her heavy breathing faded into a smile

Naruto simply glared at the woman, arguing with her was worth nothing as of now. It was rather ironic, to rule when he didn't want, to become Kage now of all times was very much uncalled for. Taking in a deep breath, he asked, "Why are you forcing me into this anyway?"

"I'm simply following the rules," she said, calmly

"What rules? Those rules are like a thousand year old"

"Like the prophecy a thousand years ago"

Naruto eyed her warily, "what prophecy?"

She smirked, "you tell me, boy"

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"How are you feeling... _my lady_?" asked a young female with a faint, pretty smile relaxing on her lips

A rare moment of silence lingered eeriely in the air as Soreda relentlessly kept the cycle of manipulating the woman's skin to regenerate at an magnified pace along with the blood cells to make up for the ones she lost.

"Can you tell me..." began a weak voice, "the reason why you're doing this, child?"

Soreda tilted her head back up, eyes eliminating the information of the chamber's content for the sake of diverting her attention to something else. She sacrificed everything she held dear to her in exchange for the other she was forced to abandon long ago, had she gone mad? It was something she was willing to gamble.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" asked Hisakata

A scoff escaped past her lips along with a quivering smirk despite of her efforts to bite it all back. Losing all the formalities she held close to, she planted her hands firmly on the woman's side, injecting her chakra to seal all the internal wounds; tears rolled smoothly down her stained cheeks before she roughly wiped them away with the back of her free hand.

"I... I can't let you die just like that... mom" she swallowed before shaking her head, face scrunching in grief as her shoulders steadily shook, "no matter how much I hold against you... I just... I just... _can't_"

A wary sigh escaped the room, "How many times do I tell you not to call me that"

She rubbed her cheeks with a roll of her shoulder, tilted her head back up, and painfully drew in the deepest breath her lungs could muster. She held it there, gathering all the emotions searing through her veins then breathed it all out with a shaky sigh. Her hands fell to her side, her face resumed to its imperturbable façade, despite the fact that it had been tainted with agony, she carried on and stared into thin air.

"I'm sorry, it wont happen again, Lady _Hisakata_" spoke Soreda in a robotic fashion

"Good," she wheezed, "how are the other two?"

"They're both in a meditative state of recuperation," reported Soreda

"How are they _doing_?"

Soreda raised a brow, eyes scanning the young duo for a fleeting moment, "you might consider giving up on the next battle you put yourself into, _my lady_"

Hisakata gingerly pushed herself up, chancing unseen glances at her daughter in her wordless desire to seek for assistance... but shook that thought off her head. She placed herself in this position, might as well drag it all the way to the grave. She grunted when she hunched forth, wincing in pain as she carefully palmed the tattered piece of clothing that revealed her now smooth skin.

"They're that good, huh?" she grunted, "the ones that'll survive my battle..."

Soreda couldn't help but scoff, it no longer matter if she was heard... it no longer mattered at all

"You have a problem, _child_?"

"Yeah," answered the young woman, nodding her head,

"What is it—"

"Being your daughter"

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"Where's Naruto?" demanded Sakura, sitting on an overly comfortable armchair that made her sink deeply to its cushions. She dug her fingers on the armrest, pressing her back against it as she darted her eyes about, searching for something to see in the dark.

"You don't really have to stay here, you know?" responded the voice

She swallowed, a reply after those long, infinite minutes that resembled into hours, "please tell me where he is"

"I don't seem to understand your purpose in all this, you know? After all, you never really loved him, right?"

"What?" breathed Sakura, her voice nearly caught behind the lump formed in her throat. She resumed her attempt to speak up, but even before she did another interruption came at hand

"Tell me, why did you even tag along, eh?"

"I—"

"Is it really because of that dead man's wish? Or maybe your hopes in seeing another particular male, hmm? I guess you're just playing with him, until that day comes when you're really not needed, huh?"

"What? No—I—"

"Don't you see? If you just continue to hang out with him like that... _you're just gonna die_." A chuckle came after, it seemed cold like the way winter would tuck the green earth beneath a white cloak of a long slumber. "And if you die, how can you see them again? All the _men_ you _love_"

Sakura began shaking her head, fighting tears as they forced their way out from the fragile corner of her eyes. She brought a hand near her face to help cease its cascading course, but only magnified the difficulty of the process, her voice began shaking, making it nearly impossible to even hiccup a word.

"Tell me, Sakura-chan" began the voice, this time it seemed far too familiar to ignore. She swallowed, waiting for the worst as she began her mental battle to remain unfamiliar with that very person, "who do you really love..."

Then came her hyperventilation...

Then came the unwanted pause...

"Is it Naruto..."

Then came the uncontrollable tears...

"or me..."

Then came the choice...

"...Sasuke?"

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Naruto shook his head, glaring balefully at the woman before yanking the nearest tome he could get his hands on. His eyes scanned through the black leatherbound tome, running his fingers across the covers before grudgingly flipping through the pages, finger brushing through the edge of the parchment as he lethargically scanned it through.

He narrowed his eyes, wondering when the pages will run out... a little habit he wished he could fulfill... but for now... something didn't seem right. He leaned back against his seat, rested his left ankle on his knee as he clasped his hands against his stomach; eyes intently focused on the closed book sitting right in front of him.

"What's wrong?" asked Soreda

A scoff escaped along with a smirk as Naruto placed a hand over his mouth before rubbing it on his face with a swift motion. He shook his head when his hand found its way on his nape, keeping a façade she couldn't fathom, his mind was brewing up a storm he couldn't cope up with, like a race he knew he wasn't a match for.

_"House rules, Kage-sama, we all go by the book now,"_

His eyes began to perceive his surrounding... since when did a library had a shelf just by a corner? Since when was there a bed in the middle of the living room, opposing the fireplace? To his left a small kitchen stood by, to his right was a door, pressumably an exit, adjacent to said door was another left slightly ajar, revealing a third of a loo.

He drew in a deep breath then ran both hands across his face. He must have been imagining things... he shook his head... everything was possible. Where was he right after the battle? How did he end up here in the first place?

_"...we all go by the book now,"_

Through closed eyes... the last time he encountered with anything unfamiliar was that scroll he took from Sakura... scrolls are the ancestors of books...

"Is something the matter, Naruto?" asked Soreda

He slumped to the right of the chair, head tilting the same direction as he held his chin with a thumb and a finger. He studied her from head to toe... this was the woman... the last person he saw before... falling unconscious...?

When nothing made sense, his eyes fell to the floor. Because the fireplace was right behind him, light illuminated from there on out, rushing past Naruto to reach out to the dark corners of the room...

_"...Kage-sama..."_

Everything had a shadow in turn... everthing that didn't move other than himself; it was where Soreda stood that piqued Naruto's interest... why was it that her shadow just nestled like a puddle beneath her?

"Naruto-san? Is something wrong?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he laced a connection that dared her to turn away. Keeping a façade she couldn't fathom, Naruto drew in a deep breath before he spoke

"As a matter of fact, something is quite bothering me"

Soreda raised both brows in interest, "can I help you fix that?"

A scoff released a smirk, that question released an answer, "I'm afraid that'll depend on you,"

The woman slightly dipped her brows in confusion before Naruto continued,

"Drop the genjutsu"

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"Do you have any idea how much I had to sacrifice for the sake of arriving just in time to heal you?" asked Soreda with a reserved tone of voice. Her bloody hands rested on her lap, head hung low in shame with each word her mouth composed on their own

"Are you blaming me?" asked Hisakata, an empty smile framing her face

"I didn't come here to do that, I came here to help you in exchange for a question"

"It's worthless to help a dead woman lying in her tomb"

"But I just did—"

"Well then you're stupid"

Soreda glared at her mother, "why won't you just... _suck it up_ and offer help to the wielder instead of escaping your obligation through pathetic means of death?"

Rising to her daughter's challenge of a stare down, she spoke through gritted teeth, "you are wasting your time here"

"Then it only proves that you don't deserve a daughter who cares, now answer me"

"... because I am reserving that knowledge for you"

A small smile crept her daughter's lips as green eyes tore away from the other, then she spoke with a quiet voice, "I wish I can believe that"

She slowly rose to her feet "Well, Lady _Hisakata_, I suggest you prepare yourself for round two..."

"He's already awake?" gasped the woman

Soreda raised a brow, "You have a problem with that?"

"You..." came a faint voice, capturing the attention of both women. The unconscious male that lay quite close to them began to stir before he pushed himself up from the ground. His lids slightly parted quite lethargically and lazily pointed at Hisakata, "didn't I kill you?"

Hisakata turned to her daughter who only stood righteously between them, like a referee, Soreda announced, "I suggest you two prepare yourself for round two..."

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: And so there is the Cliffy... anyways, I hope that didn't take to long, listen up guys, by the 25****th ****of June, 2008 there might be another flightly pause, because internet connection in the new place I'll be in would be very scarce and all... sighs, I suggest you all hang on tight, okidoki? n.n**


	17. Gives Naruto An Unexpected Edge

**Thinking of:** marry poppin's umbrella

**Eating: **Cheesecake

**Drinking: **Turnips!

**Listening to: **How Gee by Big Bang

**Feels: **Happy...

**Start**

"Wait—What?" sputtered Naruto palming the sides of his head as he forced his vision to settle, "round two?"

He watched Hisakata fluidly rise to her feet, the large opening on a tattered area of her clothing surely did not go unnoticed. He would actually admit that he was scrutinizing the pale patch of skin revealed, it was just the exact same area where his blade had gone through, involunatirily, if he must say so himself.

But then again, the small cuts he earned from their vigorous battle had vanished just as it hissed off his skin. It wasn't long before a full second had gone its course and his memory rammed him hard on the gut, where was Sakura?

She wasn't that hard to find, seeing to it that she was the only one left lying in the chamber, left in the same position he last saw her in. Such sight clenched his heart and yanked him all the way to her, falling on his knees as he gingerly picked her up.

"Sakura, this isn't the right time to sleep," whispered Naruto, a hopeful smile framing his lips, "you know that right?"

"Don't worry, she'll live" drawled Soreda, impatiently planting her hips as she stared at him quite negligently

Naruto hung his head low and poked his cheek with his tongue. He simply had to admit that such fragile moment could be rattled up so easily at such the wrong timing, he supposed life couldn't always compare to a fictional scenario that a woman, like Sakura, could dreamily sigh to.

"Okay, so basically, nobody got hurt, can we all just go home and laugh at this over a round of sake or something?" suggested Naruto

Hisakata hummed in amusement before retrieving her katar lying solitarily on the ground. Her green eyes were anything but sympathetic as she religiously wiped the clean blade against her black cloak, "I don't mingle with peasants"

"Don't worry, she's usually like that" sighed Soreda, obviously having no heart to take anything in the current situation quite seriously

Confused, Naruto stared at the duo. If they kept this up, he could actually just say that they were all just goofing off and sparring for the fun of it all. He would actually admit that he was getting a hang of it, wielding his new weapon called a katar and all...

"Okay... that's good" began Naruto, blithely nodded his head as if his situation was anything but the life-or-death kind of thing, "well, since we wouldn't want to, you know, keep you in a foul mood and all—since you don't _mingle with peasants_—_we, peasants_, will just scurry along now and bow a hundred-and-eighty degrees to you later"

Attempting to lift Sakura bridal style was a no go, the moment he turned his back on them, he nearly cringed at the feel of something unpleasant poking right at his nape. Its cold and brute surface silently concluded the presence of the user's ill will.

"And nobody walks away from me" proclaimed Hisakata with a deadly edge in her voice as if her katar didn't have enough deadly edge to it all

"You know what?" began Naruto, valiantly turning to face her, once again craning his neck to look right up at her, "just seconds before your death, you wanted me to deliver a message to your family, right?"

She didn't flinch

"You told me tell your husband and daughter that you were... what was that again—oh yes, you wanted to tell them that you were _sorry_," babbled Naruto, ignoring the fact that she pressed her katar hard against his neck with enough force to draw blood from his parted skin. But, it didn't bother him, it'll soon heal in due time... which was basically a few seconds away in this situation

"That's rich!" hollered Soreda with mild amusement, "tell her that her daughter doesn't give a damn"

Naruto ached a brow as he turned to face the younger woman, forming a fine cut to snake his neck, though it did sting, he didn't really mind; let alone the fact that blood slid down his neck and on to his clothes, "I don't really understand what's going on, but it seems you guys can handle it from here. So..." breathed Naruto, turning back to Hisakata, "I just wish that you withdraw your blade—I really have no intention to kill you again, seeing to it that the first kill was horrible enough for me to manage alone—"

"Silence" hissed Hisakata, "you are in no position to lecture me, _boy_. Fight me, so I may personally rip your throat out"

"Talk about brash frankness," sighed Naruto, "I told you—_woah_"

Straightening his back from a quick reflex of evading that blow, Naruto's patience was nearly burning on both ends, "can't you just—leave me alone? Have you ever considered doing therapy?"

Hisakata resumed her composed stand, a malignant flicker of a smirk yanked a corner of her lips, "this _is_ my therapy"

"Yeah, and I'm your psychiatrist" responded Naruto with a drop of sarcasm in his voice

"This is rich" droned Soreda, "physical _and_ mental torture, you just seem to enjoy that, don't you _mother_"

Either this was a play to scatter his brains to insanity or this was the twisted truth he'd never turn to when faced with creative fiction. His choice of reaction was far from infinite, having familiarized himself with clinging on to that bridge of confusion and the dangling rope of curiosity or hang by the tail of a soaring flock of demented humor. He didn't know which he'd prefer, but the situation was far too valuable to leave without a comment

So, carefully stringing words to a sentence he commented, "...um?"

It wasn't long before Naruto found himself flinging Sakura around like some bag of potatoes for the sake of dodging Hisakata's ballistic blows. Though one would really consider that as a figure of speech, Naruto might consider it as a desperate attempt for survival... and so yes, he was flinging the pinkette around with manic precision that can leave an audience's jaw to snap off and roll down the cliff... if that audience wasn't a cynical Soreda... but no, he wasn't that careless to the point where he's banging her skull hard against the marble floor, or use her torso to fend of that unnaturally sharp katar...

The young woman, standing by the sideline couldn't help but sigh, shake her head and bring her hand to her face muttering a rhetorical question of, "can things get anymore stranger than this...?"

"Sakura wake up!!' yelped Naruto in a frenzy as he draped her body over his shoulder like some enlarged, fattened scarf, squatting and hopping and somersaulting away as he repeated his demand for her awakening over and over again.

"Human shield just don't work for me, boy" sneered Hisakata, drawing her katar back darting towards him in a flash with several fresh maneuvers he'd never really expect to encounter, after believing that both of them had gone all out.

"Apparantly," grunted Naruto, attempting a roundhouse kick to her side in hopes of deflecting and evading that blow aiming right at Sakura's neck.

"I can tell," he said through gritted teeth, pumping chakra to fortify the soles of his sandals proved to be as useful as a toothbrush to cut someone's neck off. That meant a clean cut straight through the material and burying the blade with the fleshy, calloused area of his heel.

He bit back the wail of pain, reminding himself to never look at the damage done for it will worsen his status... reminding himself that he had gone through worse... reminding himself that he was supposed to start moving from there... he gritted his teeth and focused chakra on that fleshy area where it engulfed the blade. Before letting a second slide past this moment, he smoothly yanked out the weapon from her grip.

He swung his foot to the side, releasing the weapon as it flew to the other side of the chamber.

"That was disturbing," commented Soreda

Naruto grinned to himself, "I know!" then he turned to his opponent, "call it quits, 'cause I've got a live body and I'm not afraid to use it"

Hisakata stared at the blonde with nonchalance, "handling a katar is nothing more but a mere extension of one's arms. Weilding that weapon solely relies on the user's perfection in taijutsu"

Naruto wasn't about to give up on retreating and further more protested, "yeah, well, you wouldn't really call that taijutsu without some kicks, right? I did more taijutsu that you did throughout the whole battle"

"Ignorant fool" spat Hisakata, her patience dangling by the thread of her self-control, "taijutsu, namely hand-to-hand combat does necessarily rely on the combination of footwork when it comes to that category"

"Are you actually going to haul him back to your lecturing hall or are you gonna kill him now?" hollered Soreda

"With or without a weapon, I _can _kill you" assured Hisakata

Quickly Naruto brought his hands together in a cross, "**Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!!**"

After a massive cloud of dust emerged to existence and rolled away to reveal an army of one lone man, Naruto cocked his foxy grin, "at this rate, I can kill before you can even rant with your lectures, woman"

He narrowed his eyes, his clones mirrored. Thousands of blue eyes gazed intently on their lone opponent, "considering your status, you are as good as dead. Please understand that I am withdrawing from such worthless battle, when all I want to do is just get the hell out of here with my friend," he rolled his shoulders, Sakura's appendages lolled to a new angle as they dangled about.

"You should know, that my mother had never been so belittled and so patronized in almost all her life," spoke Soreda as she ploughed her way through the hunky crowd, "you should also know that I told her to back down on this round if she wanted to live... she never takes my advice"

She halted when she finally faced the original Naruto, seeing to it that he was the only one that carried an extra luggage on his shoulders.

"Well, my apologies, then" said Naruto with deep sincerity. He cancelled out the horde of clones, sending clouds of dust to billow about, excluding one as he handed Sakura over. He walked past Soreda and approached Hisakata, offering a hand.

"What's this?" muttered the woman with distaste, her head held high despite his inconvenient height

"I'm appealing to your better nature" grinned Naruto, though she didn't move a muscle hereafter, he continued, "I believe we've gotten on the wrong foot and I still think that there's a chance for us to start all over again... look at it this way, this is the most honorable way to back down a fight"

"You should also know that when engaged in battle, only one should emerge from the fray," voiced Soreda

Without tearing his gaze from Hisakata, he asked, "says who?"

"House rules, kid, we still go by the book" she replied

"Screw the book, it's really not worth refering to when it comes down to this" drawled Naruto

She eyed his hand and then his eyes... if her searing gaze could get anymore intense, triggering a katon jutsu would send Naruto bursting into shrapnels of flesh and his annoyingly arrogant grin will surely be wiped off from the face of the earth.

"What do you say?" he asked, from the looks of the situation, it seemed as if he was gaining the upper hand.

She reached her hand out, firmly grabbed it and hissed, "You underestimated me"

Fluidly twirling him to a headlock within a quarter of a second, Naruto's eyes widened in mortal fear before a sickening _crack_ resonated in the glum chamber walls. She eyed him warily under her hold, waiting for him to fall limp in her arms— _Poof!_

_**T-lack**_ came the next sound that followed after. This was the sound of her gloved hand capturing a tight fist before it drove right at her nose. Her hand began to blur in a flurry of tapping rapid movements away that intended a direct one-hit knock out to her head.

Tricked into blocking out the last, an unseen force knocked her out of balance before a narrow pressure tapped her somewhere on the back on her neck. She fell immobile to the ground, but remained conscious. Granted the decency to lie in a supine state, she absorbed the situation as it leaked to her vigilant mind.

Standing next to her was a noble Naruto who resorted to kneel right next to her. With a solemn demeanor set on his amicable visage he said, "Now _that_ was Taijutsu. Hand to hand alone isn't enough to bring you down like this"

She slowly parted her lips, eyes still drawn wide in resolute shock before she managed to mutter, "how...?"

She saw him raise a hand and beckon... who? Soreda? Oh, so her daughter is stabbing her in the back now, huh? Before anymore loathing could fill her mind like a drug, Naruto readjusted his focus on her, now wearing a smug smile she swore to despise.

"Lemme give you the four-oh-one" began Naruto, "you see? The moment I summoned a horde of my clones, my plan had long been executed. The unconscious Sakura is actually your disowned daughter, Soreda. And your rebellious daughter who had been talking, was actually Sakura. The one that you killed was a fellow clone... and might I tell you that neck-cracking thingy would surely be one great massage if its intent was not to kill"

He relished his victory as he rose to his feet. Sakura had joined him by then; dispelling the henge to reveal her true form along with the luggage on her back, which transpired to an unconscious Soreda. From the simple glint in Hisakata's eyes, Naruto could've only guessed the regret that filled it like a river threatening to hack down a eroding dam.

He sighed, slung her figure over a shoulder and positioned her against the wall after approaching it. He sat her on the floor, grant her the comfort she never seemed to deserve. He knelt down to eye-level and held her at an arm's length, but decided not to when her head would loll without support. So, with a compromising position that never intended to have some twisted innuendo of any sort, Naruto spoke

"She'll live"

Hisakata merely glared at him, granted the situation she was in, this was a deeper cut to her ego. He was like instigating the process of a painful death and a mortifying memory she was to carry with her to the grave.

"And so will you"

Quite relieved that she could still control her eyes, she rolled it about to prove her _trust_ on his words. Naruto sighed, "And the stubborn one speaks, you know arrogance can be your downfall right—"

"No need for that Naruto" interrupted Sakura

"Yeah, I know" muttered Naruto, "look, I will spare you, Sakura will realign the nerves I've disconnected, and unless you continue doing _that_, this will take a toll on your body. Seeing to it that you're given ten full minutes before your body dies, thus considering the start of some dreadful coma"

With that sealed away to her mind, Hisakata's focus had taken on a full throttle on Naruto. Never liking the way she gazed at him with such _endearing _eyes, he cleared his throat, "as I was saying, I've noticed the certain chakra layering your skin..." he hovered his hand to the small area of skin revealed, "so if I may just... _Kai_"

With a small burst of smoke, her side—the one with the supposed deep gash— revealed a string of seals in the form of archaic writing familiar to the one in his highly-valued scroll. He smirked triumphantly and nodded over to Sakura who gently lowered Soreda next to her mother, to begin healing the nerve that allowed her to speak.

Once given that advantage, Naruto and Sakura braced themselves for the expected verbal diarrhea that hammered its rigorous way to their ears. With a palm firmly pressed on her lips to block that passageway of rotting verbs and adjectives, Naruto wagged a finger at her, as if reprimanding a toddler, "you don't want to end up a vegetable, now do you?"

She grunted and nearly gnawed his palm off, if he hadn't retrieved said hand. Pacified, the sitaution reeled in to their favor, Naruto shifted his position so that he knelt on one knee while the other propped his right hand, "I admire your tattoos" he began

The woman steeply arched a narrow brow

"I bet they crawl off all over your skin—"

_WHACK!_ "that was very much uncalled for, Naruto" admonished Sakura

"Says the lady who does as she pleases" chided Naruto, "besides, I never meant anything with what I meant—that doesn't make sense, so I'll rephrase that. I never meant it the way you would... look at the perverted one now" he grumbled

Now having two women burn him with intense glares, he blithely shook it off and continued, "May I ask who the artist was?"

"Artist? What are you talking about, we are not artistically inclined in this area of the—"

"Do you know who made your tattoos?" drawled Naruto rather impatiently

"Yeah" she breathed

"Do you understand it?"

"Why?"

"Just answer" snapped Naruto with slight control

Obviously unaffected by that, she answered seethingly, "_yes_"

"Awesome," grinned Naruto, reaching into his pockets

"Why?" asked Hisakata

The moment he drew out a cylindrical object, he held it out in front of her, "there's something I want you to read"

The moment he unravelled its contents, the elongated parchment fell to the ground. He readjusted his hold so that he held it up before her with a cheeky grin

"What's this?" her eyes scanned hastily through its contents

"Other than the fact that it's a scroll," smiled Naruto, "it's my father's death wish slash wish list"

"_What_?"

"You heard me, now translate"

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: I will admit that the ending seemed quick... anyways, yeah, this came out sooner than what I'd expect. After scanning them through with white heat, I think it was as good as done. If there happens to be any weird happenings in this installation that doesn't make any grammatical sense, please feel free to say it out loud. That'd be all, and it shall be dealt with effectively.**


	18. Has Little Details

_When one loves another greatly so  
Sometimes, the best way is to let them go_

**Start**

Naruto sat pensive on one corner of the room, both knees drawn up to prop his elbows and palm his head. Such fresh information still swam in the corners of his mind, settling down on new areas, testing how far his sanity could get before he broke down. The unwavering focus on the carpetted floor accompanied him, not only was it comfortable to sit on, but the patterns stitched on to it helped him flex his mind with the felt-tipped imagination drifting about, waiting to be seen.

With Sakura mending Hisakata's severed nerves and Soreda hog-tied and duct-taped nearby, Naruto felt nothing more but a piece of furniture in the bedroom they resided in. Getting there didn't really seem important to Naruto. He was simply staring straight ahead as he slung Hisakata's weight on his shoulder, subconsciously asking the directions to the sleeping chambers in the area, and merely humming in response when Sakura asked how he was.

Little details that worked together to create a massive surrounding were dismissed; little details such as how conservative these people were with light, such as the easy navigation through the complex corridors seemed, such as how it seemed empty and so on and so forth.

Naruto was like the moving dead. He was tired in many ways and that nullified his mortal sensitivity to the world. He hadn't eaten for a good number of days, and yet it didn't seem to affect him. He hadn't used the bathroom and that was something that can be potentially fatal to his health. Right now, he viewed them as unnecessary needs that could be dealt with later.

"Seriously, Naruto you must at least try, you know" urged Sakura as she continued to hover her glowing hands over the woman's nape. The woman lay flat on her belly on the ground and she sat perpendicular to her right shoulder.

"I'll shit if I want to," drawled Naruto, eyes never parted from the carpet; muscles never moved an inch further

She sighed, "The door opposite of where you are leads to the bathroom, just in case"

He didn't answer. He didn't feel like it, or simply because there was no need to. There were more things more important than slipping away and leave her alone with these two potentially dangerous... hostages? Killers? Maniacs? Perhaps _people_ would be a safer word.

He sighed. First shift of movement... the only sign that he was still breathing.

He reminisced those days, when life seemed so much easier. Wake up, pull pranks, go train, eat ramen and then sleep. As oppose to now, where life was basically about surviving that made no room for mistakes and careless choices. Sure, a person in command may seem cool and all, people such as Jiraiya and Kakashi. Being so young back then, he never realized the weight of responsibility can drag one down so severely if one didn't know what he or she was doing.

The moment he achieved genin, he took his title for granted. The moment Jiraiya took him in, he despised the harsh transition from blissful ignorance to miserable awareness. From then on, nothing else looked the same from his vantage point. At first it was the barrage of advices, when time settled in, he learned they were innuendos, when he finally got the hang of it, he understood a single word Jiraiya was trying to tell him.

It all seemed like a sick joke to Naruto in the beginning and never took Jiraiya seriously from then on. However, when faced in danger and they were forced to communicate without giving much; he slowly learned to appreciate it, because they were rewarded with life... no longer wanting to linger much longer in that alley of thought, he drew back and retreated to his little corner of control.

This, however, put his life on the line. Every turn must be expected, every rise must be planned, every fall must be calculated, all for the sake of existing. He wasn't in a normal mission with a watchful chaperone or a fellow colleague, he was set on a personal mission to retrieve what was his and to protect Sakura, who unexpectedly came along—not that he was exactly complaing or anything.

Nonetheless, it just added the list of his worries. He was aware of the virtual danger the longer she stuck to him. He already sensed the fall of his life span and prepared himself for anything that would round him up in a corner. He can handle that, well, at least when he feels accomplished, but if he didn't... well, at least he died trying.

The case with Sakura, however, was something that took his vigilance on a scale double than what he set for himself. Having been through the heart wrenching situations of where she threw herself in as his human shield never bode well for his conscience and him.

"Naruto?"

He blinked back to reality and noticed the proximity of their faces. His eyes scanned over her jade ones, trailing over to her sharp nose and gummy-pink lips, never noticing the conspicuous bags drooping under her eyes, or how much her cheekbones protruded from a long fast or how dry and chapped her lips were. To him, her beauty overruled those little details; little details that he no longer cared about.

"Are you alright?" she asked, hugging her legs with hands gently resting on her knees

He gave her a smile that promised assurance, but his tired eyes spoke otherwise. His fingers unconsciously dove beneath his wild locks, drawing circles on his own scalp, "well done, Sakura," was what he said after a long pause

He watched her raise her brows in worry, before moving a hand to slide under his forehead protector, "you sick or something?"

He didn't answer. He just... watched her, scrutinizing her features as she ran a subtle check up on him. His smile never left his lips as he felt her cool hands press against his forehead, his neck, two fingers checking his pulse, while her left tapped a fixed rhythm against her knee.

He felt her hand slide up to the side of his neck and cradle his head, such simple touches unleashed the teeming cage of furious butterflies wreaking havoc in his exhausted body; chasing his heart to beat for a marathon, boiling his blood to induce further body heat, dragging his lungs down so that he breathed heavily...

They were just little details, a quarter of how he felt towards Sakura. The other half was the type of love he could give her more than he did to anyone else, and the remaining quarter... that was yet to be discovered. He watched her run her eyes over his face, tears adorning the edges of her eyes, her bottom lip quivered and so she bit it, keeping it still. Her other hand made its way to cup his cheek before both hands slid to his shoulders as she collapsed before him, pressing her forehead against his chest while releasing a deep staggering breath.

He sighed and lowered his legs, he relaxed and pulled her close, he waited and he heard her cry.

"It's over," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck as she buried her damp face on the junction of his left shoulder and neck, legs wrapping around his waist as she pulled herself closer to him. His strong arms held in place and he breathed into her neck, one hand rubbing circles on her back to calm her down. "It's over isn't it?" she asked, "that means we can all go home now, right?"

"You can't" interrupted a familiar voice

Alarmed, Sakura pulled away from Naruto, her hand hovering over her shuriken holster, the other, furiously rubbing off her tear-stained cheeks. Naruto simply tilted his head towards the futon Hisakata lay on; the woman hunched her shoulders, with her back turned to them.

"I've read it, too you know," whispered the woman, "we both know that it doesn't end here, right?"

Sakura turned to Naruto with eyes that begged him to tell her otherwise. That was why he was gathering all of his will power to avoid that urge to look at the pinkette. Lazily swinging his weight off the ground, he dusted himself clean before he did his hands.

"Sakura-chan, I can send you home if you want," he said with ease while stretching his limbs, popping some tightly knotted bones from here and there. "You've done your part..." he continued when he finished his little exercise, then slowly turning his head to face her, he kept his eyes on the ground, "so you really don't have to... I mean... you've done so much already"

Sakura opened her mouth to protest; ready to say anything for the sake of... for the sake of... she closed her mouth softly and dropped her eyes to the floor. She didn't really have anything to defend and she already did play her part. She did what Jiraiya asked her to do; she helped him get him what he had been searching for...

Naruto had been staring off into the distance, just slightly above Hisakata's head, "I'll be sending you off tomorrow" he said thoughtfully, turning to Sakura with a smile, "by then I can get a map to get you out of here and you can clean up, have a meal and prepare for our trip, 'kay?"

She didn't look back into his eyes, she didn't move an inch. She wasn't sure if she should be greatful for being relieved from such profitless mission, or maybe grieve for not receiving the proper appreciation. Who was she kidding here? She was simply playing the _unwanted samaritan_, a role any goody-two-shoes would die for... and frighteningly enough, this can be taken quite literally.

"So, Hisakata-san, what is it that you propose?" asked Naruto, gratefully averting his attention from Sakura, he wasn't sure if he can handle the drama just yet. In his opinion, that grieving act back there with a _dying _ Sakura was as far as he'd get for the sake of making sure that Sakura did the switch with Soreda long ago.

_"Sakura, this isn't the right time to sleep, you know that right?"_

_"Don't worry, she'll live"_

"I think I understand what's happening now..." mumbled Hisakata, tearing Naruto away from his split-second trance. Her voice, though soft, was clear enough to slice through silence.

Observing Naruto, Sakura clearly didn't like his imperturbable façade. Usually loud and impulsive, Naruto was a stranger who seemed too reticent and calculative.. someone like—no, she wouldn't want to compare him to anyone else at the moment. It was a drastic change over a short period of time, like the uncanny transition from summer to winter.

"What is happening?" asked Sakura with the softest of voice, she saw Hisakata open her mouth, ready to answer her question but Naruto beat her to it

"Everyone's need to rest"

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Sakura was a smart girl, she capable of taking care of herself and making decisions that she can profit from in the long run. She was never the type to do anything without purpose; she also made sure that she wouldn't let her emotions overrule her assertive mind. A matter of quick thinking and firm decisions built a strong foundation that kept her from breaking down.

So why was it that she felt unsure now? She direly missed home including everyone else back there, but she longed to be by Naruto's side. She knew it would be best to head back to Konoha, but an inkling feeling told her she was wrong.

She sighed, it was morning in the village and yet it felt as dark as the atmosphere. Glum buildings stood by the streets as mangled blocks of concrete, the beautiful morning felt as empty as the streets, thus cancelling the effect of the supposed good mood she longed for. She stepped out of the dark building's gates and looked back to view it, like the rest of the buildings, it was just the same, only it was a much larger block of concrete that ruined the morning.

She walked on the gray pavement, sliding her sandals on the surface as she dragged her foot wherever she felt like dragging them. Right now, she had no idea where to head off first, but she received a handful of money from Hisakata, offering her to do as she please.

She didn't exactly like the woman, she reminded her of Sosari...? The puppet master who turned himself into a puppet—oh yes, Sasori. She mentally smacked herself in the head. So, she reminded her of Sasori because it was a nostalgic scenario where she jumped in just in time to play martyr. She tugged the hem of her silken robe to conceal her body and folded her arms across it before gradually coming to a halt in her strides.

She peered over her shoulder and gazed longingly at the dark walls confining Hisakata's lair, wondering how Naruto was doing back there. She wasn't blind, she knew Naruto was up to something, it wasn't the kind where she'd be suspecting to find him doing unholy things to her, it was the kind that he was planning something...

From the way he ignored her after his tiring battle, from how he seemed distant even when he stood next to her. When they were back in the room, she can tell something was up with Naruto from the unusual way he answered her and how different he acted when Hisakata stirred. There was a significant touch to how he subtly tried to tell her something...

Something that ran along the lines of goodbye...

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In contrast to the gloomy, eerie, and ominous dungeons he walked through, Hisakata and her daughter led him to her _office_. Like the usual, it was similar to any other Kage's office. She had a desk in the absence of papers on the far end of the room, behind the wall of windows where it gave a promising view of the village, the walls however... this woman needs to have another diversion from blood and gore, to Naruto, it seemed as if she killed whenever and wherever she pleased. Bottom line, bodies were absent, but the walls could use some scrubbing.

Positioned in front of her desk were two chairs, Naruto occupied one of them. He took the offered tea, pressed his fingers against the rim, and swirled it while the steam rolled off his palm and fingers. With his gaze fixed on the swirling liquid, he sighed.

_**That is sweet**_

Interrupted from his deep thoughts, Naruto stopped swirling his cup and ran his free hand down his face before it settled about his lips.

_**To sacrifice what you hold so dear to your heart, it's simply sweet**_

_'You don't even know what I'm thinking about'_

_**Doesn't mean that I don't have an idea with what you plan. Congratulations by the way, I guess your father had a good time watching you go through all that crap**_

_'Don't be ridiculous, he obviously had his reasons'_

_**Yeah, to have a clown entertain him while he watches you from above**_

_'... what do you want?'_

_**Okay, listen, I seriously don't like the idea with what your father is trying to get at**_

Naruto huffed out a feeble laugh, _'afraid to go back to where you really belong?'_

_**I'm just trying to warn you that it's really dangerous**_

_'That's rich coming from someone like you' _Naruto took a sip

_**You know the chances of you dying are high, right?**_

Naruto lowered the cup for a thoughtful moment before he shrugged, _'so?'_

The Kyuubi sighed heavily, _**Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into**_

Naruto cocked his head back in sudden surprise before he brought his cup to his lips to cover his smile, _'is the demon fox actually showing that he cares for his Bijuu?'_

_**Go to hell**_

Naruto snorted, _'well then, I'll be seeing you there'_

"Okay, I found it" said Hisakata the moment she entered the room, flinging her office door as she barged in with a heavy pile of papers in her arms. Naruto literally stumbled out of the way as he rose from his chair, else she'd bury him under all the papers. With a heavy thud, she dropped it in a slapdash fashion on her desk before rounding the piece of furniture and sink on her chair.

Naruto blinked, took a sip from his tea before he fixed the chair, and take the first sheet of paper on top of the pile. The woman clasped her hands in front of her, tentatively watching Naruto with careful eyes. Naruto's brows furrowed from what he read before drifting his eyes to the woman gauchely staring at him, he lowered his cup and said, "what?"

She gesticulated him to continued before clapping her hands together, watching him eagerly like the way Shikamaru would a new Shogi board. Naruto held still for a moment before setting his cup on the desk along with the paper. He leaned back on his seat and rested his ankle on his knee, "why are you helping me?"

She quizically raised both brows and stared at him through hooded lids, before impatiently asking, "What are you talking about?"

Naruto gave her a look that said _oh, you know what I'm talking about, so stop playing innocent_.

By which she answered with a lethargic gaze that simply looked blank.

"Not too long ago, you were hellbent on killing me. After that, I just killed you and you just miraculously returned from the dead. After that, you just made another attempt to kill me. After that, I gave you a comatose. After that... here you are... helping me," he said simply before folding his arms across his chest, "it doesn't make sense to any normal person"

Her visage remained unchanged, though she slightly shrugged, "what makes you think we're normal people Naruto?"

Naruto sniffed out a short laugh; "fair enough..." he lifted the piece of paper he previously perused, "what's this?"

This time, her calm smile challenged his, with a smooth voice, she said, "I think it's time I'll drag you to the lecture hall and learn some history concerning a fascinating objet d'art"

Naruto's smile fell at a dramatic rate; he never liked history.

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Sakura sank her chin lower beneath the water surface, but not low enough to keep her nose under. She breathed, causing ripples to undulate on the transluscent water, taking in the heated steam and breathing it all out. She expected to fall at ease sooner or later, but her body fell too limp to actually call it _relaxation_.

Her gaze fell listlessly through the water before her fingers emerged from the surface like delicate fleshy columns pruned by the absence of air. She held it up at such length that she began wiggling them out of her feeble amusement. Sighing, she drew back, leaning on the rocky outline of the spring. She gazed at the sky, finally realizing that she was in some sort of outdoor spring.

But who cares?

Maybe she can enjoy _bonding_ with nature for a while. The sky was blue, the sun was smiling and the clouds were lazy as usual... excluding the one group that inched out from her frame of vision over her head, where it began rolling towards the sky in a thick, ominous blanket of grief.

Oh yes... she was surely going to _bond_ with Mother Nature.

And so humorously, she asked no in particular, "why do I feel strange?"

An awkward flash of light reigned for a fleeting moment, accompanied by a thunderous growl. The distant cacophony of rain began to drape the village, slowly inching towards the spring. She remained impassive when the rain began to prod her face with indolent patterns. Usually in search for shelter when a storm came, Sakura didn't particularly care right now.

Boiling water smothering the rest of her body pleasantly contrasted to the icy drips that showered on her face. It was just like taking a hot bath and showering with cold.

"You know, Nature-sama, I'm not really looking forward to throwing a fit without a shoulder to lean on" she drawled, she knew she was insane, so it wouldn't hurt to actually just admit it through actions, right?

Another boom of thunder raced the streak of lightning

"Geez, you don't have to throw a temper at me," gasped Sakura, a little shaken by the proximity of the event, "besides, it wouldn't make any difference if I cry, you're tears will wipe mine away"

The weight of the rain increased as she felt hundreds drumming against her skin, causing the spring to ripple in arbitrary bends, slightly cooling the temperature. This was ridiculous... but so was everything else. Like, why would Naruto want her to go back to Konoha? That perfectly didn't seem to make any sense. She did prove her worth after all, she saved him twice, right?

"Yeah, it's not like I mind that you're... crashing in my own party" she mumbled, lifting her head.

It wasn't long before captions of memories flashed through her mind, reliving at least ten events before a second passed. Memories traced back to when she first bumped into Naruto by the Academy's swing, to their first day of school. She remembered how she reacted when she was stuck with Naruto in Team Seven, and how he continued to shine greater than Sasuke in their years of rivalry.

_"I always hear about Sasuke this, and Sasuke that, what's so great about him anyway?"_

A soft smile painted her lips

_"I'll definitely bring Sasuke back! That's the promise of a lifetime!"_

She drew in a long weary sigh when she remembered those dreadful two years of his absence where the village took in a painstaking hush of stagnant events. She, too, made a silent vow, that was to become strong by the time he returned to help him fulfill the greatest promise she bound him to. The more she thought about it, the more guilt waded through her insides. She didn't need this now, everything was becoming too depressing for her to even cope up with, let alone miserable pasts that made her remorseful now.

So she grabbed a handful of water and splashed the astoundingly boiling water to her cool face, letting tears spring from eyes and ridiculously had broken the dam that she had long been building within her. Sakura was slowly becoming a wreck... again.

Rather grateful for the weather, she simply tilted her head back and began wiping her face, letting the rain cool her skin. Why did she do that? Well, simply because she wanted to escape her drowning thoughts, ironically enough, and forgot that her face had gotten used to the amicably icy water pouring down on her.

"What am I doing talking to _nature?_" muttered Sakura, freezing for a moment, "what am I doing in the spring while there's a storm?" she whipped her head around, then fell lax against the rocky wall, "because I'm the stupid girl who doesn't know what to do" answered Inner Sakura

"Wow" came an unexpected voice, immediately Sakura turned rigid and feigned interest in one particular boulder that faintly reminded her of... well... just reminded her of something, "that was weird"

Only one name dared to invade her head, "Soreda..."

"Are you done yet?" she asked, standing by the doorway, clutching the hem of the towel wrapping her body. Sakura begrudgingly peered over her shoulder and said, "Almost. Aren't you supposed to be hog-tied with duct tapes?"

She shook her head, "I don't understand why people stay in the spring for more than five hours," effortlessly dodging the subject.

Sakura's eyes widened, "were you stalking me?"

Soreda barked a short laugh, "as if there was actually anything to _ogle _at"

The pinkette bit her lip. Now that seemed frighteningly familiar.

"Come; get out of there so we can hit the bar. I know a place where it isn't such a ghost town," she offered casually

"Yeah, well, maybe it wouldn't be such a ghost town if people didn't commit suicide or homicide for fun, right?" drawled Sakura, she squeaked hereafter, simply reacting to the harsh grip on her fragile, right arm

"Girl, you have a lot of issues," pointed out Soreda, her voice a few inches away from her ears, it wasn't long before she dragged the younger female out of the spring and tossed a clean set of towels to her face.

"That's rich, coming from a sadistic maniac!" squalled Sakura, struggling to wrap a towel around her body with one arm. Soreda simply ignored her and blithely marched to the locker area towing a thrashing Sakura in hand.

A few hours later, after being dragged to one of the semi-seediest bar in town, Sakura found herself squawking out her laughter after some _brilliant_ anecdote Soreda shared with her that went along the lines of _really lame_. But in the presence of alcohol, Sakura can basically laugh at anything, be it by simply looking at the empty bottle and point at it and tell Soreda that it was empty.

Soreda's fit of laughter died down to soft chuckles as she brought her mug to her lips. Sakura, still banging her palm pathetically against the bar, clutched her stomach and teasing the... _empty bottle_. The older of the two, settled her mug down and she asked, "Is something bothering you? I mean, seriously, no one would be strongly amused by a poor empty bottle just trying to get by, you know?"

"You know what?" slurred Sakura, inadvertently pointing a finger at her, "You can't bring me back to Konoha even if you need to, coz I'm just staying right here!" she announced aloud, raising her mug high in the air.

The bar had gone silent for a while, Soreda stiffened, usually these bars just went by their own business. Then after what seemed like an eternity, all the drunken men and women raised their mugs, and chorused, "yeah!!"

Soreda released the air she held hostage, snatched the mug from Sakura's grip, who was too busy singing a round of nursery rhymes to care, sloshed down the remaining alcohol. That was a first, and for a moment, she thought they would have died. The minute she traditionally slammed the mug on the bar, she was returning Sakura's simpering grin with a worried smirk.

She never expected this kunoichi too be this wild... she just hoped she wasn't too wild to get curious enough to do something, she'd very much like the status of her orientation as of now. Then she relieved a sigh, while Sakura gave a drunken glare right past her,

"Here she is, kiddo, all taken care of"

Naruto sighed warily and walked over to Sakura, slinging her effortlessly on his shoulder before skewing a sideways glance to her, "I never said get her drunk"

Soreda smiled surreptitiously, "but she did confess"

Naruto shrugged, "I told you to make her comfortable with my idea," thus he began walking away. The woman turned on her stool and called, "did you know she was talking to _Mother Nature_? She's fallen hard for you, Romeo!"

He shook his head and ploughed his way out of the raucous bar, reentering the realm of sombre peace the moment he reached the open. Unlike the morning, the village seemed to enthrall him in the evening, if you categorized individual features, yes, you'd get a depressing feel.

Lampposts illuminated the streets, while the moon peered from its patchy clouds, together, they basked the buildings until those mangled blocks of concretes radiated a soothing glow. Just then Sakura began to flail in a drunken stupor.

"You're not gonna ramshackle me back to Konoha," slurred Sakura, half-heartedly yanking fistful of his hair

"Sakura," sighed Naruto, trying his best to ignore her, "ramshackle means dilapidated—"

"You have no idea how much I've put myself through just to help you" she whacked him languidly on the back and began floundering about on his shoulder, ultimately throwing his balance off course, and yet he struggled to head for the decent inn he checked in not too long ago.

The moment he entered the humble foyer, Sakura elbowed him on the side of his neck. Having to lengthen his patience for the current situation Soreda put her in, he ignored her and began marching up the stairs.

Sakura began pounding her fists on his back, demanding him to "put me down so I can chain myself to your ankle," which was honestly bull, since she never really seemed to make sense. However, he miraculously managed to lumber his way to their room and fling her to a mess of downy cushions and feather-soft sheets.

Here she gasped in surprise on to shoot herself back upright, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto, who was too busy locking the room and trying to escape through the bathroom. She wobbled her way towards him, blocking his way with an accusing finger and said, "I know what you're thinking"

Naruto frowned in offense, "I'm not thinking of doing anything to you"

"Oh" she said drunkenly, using that finger to press her lips as she hazily stared at the carpetted floor. He shrugged past her, but was hauled to a stop when she managed to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him towards her face. For a moment, he thought he was in for a long night considering the situation, but only blinked in surprise when she seethed, "you're brushing me off aren't you? Running away with that skanky bitch to replace me"

"What?" sputtered Naruto, "Sakura, what are you talking about?"

"You let Hisakata live so that you can ship me back to Konoha, right?" she spat. The strong scent of alcohol niggled his brain, triggering slight nausea in his wake, but immediately shrugged that off. He gripped her wrists quite firmly but not harshly, and kept a steadfast gaze locked into her eyes.

Though it was exactly what he planned, the way she said it didn't sound right... it sounded _wrong_. He wished he could further explain it to her, to help her understand it all. But that would just be the same as giving excuses, and he knew she deserved better. Once again, the soldiered words retreated to the base of his mind and could do nothing more but helplessly look her in the eye.

Had she been more sober, she would have wanted to settle an argument to clear things up. But that would only pry the threatening crack between them. For once in her moment, she unleashed her common sense and let it wander off to let all the other hazy details sink in. She relished their proximity, letting that fluttering thought soften the tightening rage that built up. Blinking ever so slowly, she submitted to the dawning presence of sleep and a sneaky, yet innocent, smile bit back her sneer.

Darkness began eating away from the edges of her vision... but it was great, because it eliminated all the unecessary details overly emphasizing his handsomeness. She gave up fighting back the dreading sleep, fearing the very idea that he'd be sending her back to Konoha tomorrow. She felt her weight bleed out of her flesh as her vision diluted to a blur.

She felt a soft, warm surface catch her front and embraced the sound of a familiar rhythm against her ear, joining the tempo of her heartbeat. Her back then felt the soft, cool sheets. Subconsciously reaching out to anything her fingers can get a grip on, she muttered almost inaudibly

"I love you..."

The warmth returned to her side and all her sense of touch ebbed away. But just before that happened she felt a pair of damp warmth dab her lips quite sincerely. She could have been hallucinating, imagining things, or simply dreaming, but unlike Naruto, Sakura cared for these innocent, little details.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: Hmmm... hmm… sighs… Though as odd and depressing their situation had gotten, this is the only way I can get on with the story. As the saying goes win some lose some... and then maybe a little repair— okay, guys! (Caught once again for typing out my... erm... thoughts) That's it for Chapter Eighteen. **

**I guess I should start giving them titles, you know... coz, Chapter Eighteen seems too... boring, so yeah, by then you may have noticed this title should be 18. Has Little Details. Eighteen is the default number... so I suggest if you read the title of the next chap, read it with the number prior to it. That'd be all. I'm renaming all chapters... by now it should be done...**


	19. Leaves Her With Notes

**A/N: Okidoki, I'm wrapping it up soon enough. That means the end will be near, I'm honestly too lazy to make this fic too long. More or less, this fic will be over by the twenty-fifth chapter. Just remember, by the twenty-fifth of June, a long pause will come at hand. Please bear with me, I'm in a transitory stage of my life, from highschool to college. I'm a big girl now (grins like an idiot)**

_I love you so much that it hurts  
Cliché as it may sound,  
So does your kunai stabbing my back_

**Start**

The first thing Sakura noticed when she woke up was the sudden blast of a mind-splitting force, driving half her brains apart, expanding that narrow space that settled between them until it threatened to blow her head up.

The second thing that she noticed was the unacceptable emptiness next to her. Where had her living, breathing, moving teddy bear gone? So, those two factors alone made her unhappy morning a _miserable_ start of the day. All grubby and cranky, she wobbled her way out of the bed. until she reached the coffee table on the corner of the room; adjacent to the bathroom door (weird place to put it, but there it was).

There was the third thing she noticed. Sitting on that coffee table was a mug and a note alongside of it. She tottered her way to it, snatched the letter and read:

_Sakura-chan,_

_Good morning! Listen, I had some things to do, so I'm sorry if you woke up in my absence. Please don't hate me for that, but I am well confident that you understand._

She sniffed in morose amusement. _'Some things to do,'_ meaning _'Spending more time with Hisakata than Sakura'_

_Anyways, I managed to make some 'Sobering Up' tea. The old goat taught me the ingredients so I can make some for him when he wakes up from a hangover. Well, since you have a hangover and the old goat's gone, I guess you better drink up before it gets cold..._

_Naruto_

Sakura remembered the time she got her first love letter. It was her first year in the Ninja Academy and it was Valentine's Day then. Though it was sloppily written and cheesily devised, it was simple, sweet and honest. It made her smile that day, amongst the other girls who wasted their time torturing Sasuke with papercuts she was the only girl who got a love letter from a guy.

Being young and naïve back then, she arrogantly announced that Sasuke gave it to her. All the girls despised her then, and Ino took up the challenge of winning over the Uchiha's heart. Hectic years followed up, and like her first year, she kept getting those love letters, and she should admit from cute and cheesy, those letters gradually became more heartfelt and romantic.

She never really figured her real _secret admirer's_ identity, too distracted by Sasuke, it was only today she realized who had been giving her those notes. Naruto had always been consistent with her, she just needed to open her eyes... and even if she was quite late, she managed to catch up with him.

This note, though not so romantic, was quite enough to cancel out the two recent things she noticed that morning. She drank her tea down with a smile that morning, before she scowled and sputtered, forgetting to cancel the heating tag attached to the bottom of the mug, effectively scalding her tongue and mouth.

She was going to get Naruto for not mentioning that bit to the note.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I think it's time I'll drag you to the lecture hall and learn some history concerning a fascinating objet d'art"

Naruto's smile fell at a dramatic rate; he never liked history.

He remembered when he was still in the Academy, he realized how much he hated history by the time Iruka-sensei introduced the subject to them and gave them a brief summary on what to expect. He would always sit with Shikamaru and have as race, seeing who would doze off first come the first turned page from the Big Book of Ninja History. Shikamaru beat Naruto to it, dropping dead the moment Iruka showed the book to the class, so the blonde resorted to devising and plotting pranks to kill time.

He never really cared about the shinobi wars, legendary warriors and the great feats of the Hokages. He already knew he could make a difference when he was _big and strong_ enough to wander off these wretched walls, where he wouldn't be wasting his time learning about history.

The more boring the lesson, the wilder his imagination, the more creative his prank, he lived by that motto. The greatest one yet was vandalising the Hokage Monument, and he was devising that prank when Iruka was discussing about the most interesting part of the syllabus of the whole term yet, the Yondaime's past. The late Hokage had the most enthralling history, and even then Naruto found it boring.

History never went well with the boy at all. Now, he was big and strong enough to wander off those wretched walls, here he was wasting his time learning about History; he'd never expected to be forcefully dragged to the lecture hall, sit on one of those standard school desks and seat. It was the same, typical theatre with the blackboard down the front and a teacher's desk a little over to the side where the windows lined up.

And so Naruto slumped on his seat, blatantly plunging his forehead against the desk when she just started shuffling the pile of papers on her desk.

"I take it you hate history" she said, never sparing him a glance

Naruto grumbled something inaudible; the woman merely smirked in amusement. She drew out a pair of spectacles from the drawer, placed it near the tip of her nose. She began perusing the first page she snatched from the pile. Leaning on her palm against the desk, she crossed her legs from the way she stood.

Naruto sighed, rolled his head to the side, and gazed at the village from the window. It almost felt like being back in Konoha, sans the view of his hometown.

"How much do you know about the Pandemonium's Legend?" asked Hisakata

"Not much, other than the briefing from my father's will" drawled Naruto, his voice resonating against the wooden mass he pressed his cheek on.

"Let's see if your memory serves you well, boy," she said

Lazily swinging his head off the desk, he began his explanation. How a man received the responsibility of Gatekeeper of the Demon's Pandemonium and how he was fooled by the most cunning of all demons. With the demons first wishing to throw their wrath on their Gatekeeper, his Guardian came to the rescue and sacrificed her life so he may run away and live. Thus the demon remains scattered to all parts of the world, still searching for him. And eventually they wrecked havoc and they were sealed away into Bijuus and whatnots.

"Short and straight to the point," remarked Hisakata peering over her spectacles with a downwards tilt of her head, she never moving from her position, save for her free hand firmly against her hip. Like Naruto, she wore a fathomless demeanor, so both indolently stared at each other until either one broke the silence.

Since Naruto was strongly protesting, Hisakata would have to hack her way back to her lesson, much to his dismay, "This is the part where I teach you..." she said, "in _enough _details"

"Yeah, well, I'm not planning to stay here for a week, let alone three more days. I know that you know that I have a schedule to stick to, and this lecture here is really—"

"I never liked noisy people," she interrupted

Naruto, forcing himself to be a gentleman, had no time to argue back. Compared to his old sixteen-year-old self and now, he was much quieter than before... and she still finds him noisy? That was... strange. Well, he guess she woud have been very lucky that she met him now that he was a tad bit mature than before.

"You should be greatful I'm giving you a crash course on this," she reached out for a thin folder hiding behind the pile of papers and tossed it to Naruto, spinning a faultless horizontal angle before perfectly landing right in front of him; not an inch to the side, not a centimeter off the desk. Naruto resentfully withdrew his deathly glare from the woman and opened the folder.

He held it up and found three pages of paper back to back before turning to her, "I don't have time to read all this"

"Oh really?" she said, haughtily folding her arms across her chest

"Really" assured Naruto, arrogantly leaning back on his seat, folding his arms over his chest as he slightly angled his body to the exit—which was on the blackboard's right, opposing the line of windows.

"Then I s'pose you wouldn't mind reading _this,_ right?" she asked, lifting a ten-inched thick book off her desk. Naruto blanched and immediately hugged the three pieces of paper, biting a smile to erase his sneer, "like I said, I have all the time in the world—but not enough time to read that tome—to read _this_. I'm perfectly happy, and I expect to remember it—"

"Yeah, yeah I get it," droned Hisakata waving a hand to dismiss him, "you should take advantage of me offering you help. I don't normally get up at the crack of dawn just to get this done for you, you know. Besides, the summary you made yesterday was really a pile of crap and never really made any sense. Your summarizing skill... how do you say it? Sucks, I'm afraid."

Naruto, who missed what she just said by glancing over the papers, asked, "All these for one story?"

"Let's just say I have some answers to your father's will and I've highlighted the more important parts from the book," she said quite distantly, eyeing the doorway, secretly wanting out

"But he didn't ask any questions" reminded Naruto, looking back at her

She sighed, "You remind me the reason why I hate conducting classes"

Naruto rolled his eyes and began packing up, "yeah, well... I hate history, bye"

With that he stormed off, though as politely as possible with his eyes glued to the papers before deciding it to throw in a jutsu to make it pocket book style... and perhaps enlarge the writing by just a wee bit—there... only to sigh when it grew to at least fifty pages long... like a pocketbook.

"Oh well," he shrugged and began walking around the town with a book in his hand, not really caring about the world and felt strangely familiar to... a certain sensei. Though he must point out that he was still different from that man, he wasn't reading porn, he was reading something healthy and educational, there are no age limits to this, it can actually help him—bottom line, it was worth his time.

Though it didn't necessarily mean he had to keep his nose buried in that wretched book, it wasn't like he was overly enthusiastic about it... it was _History_ and he hates the subject. The very name washes him with goosebumps spreading through his skin, he hated the feeling... just the book... and maybe not so if it was a cause from a different certain someone.

He wondered how Sakura was doing, and slightly worried for her. According from the position of the sun, it was a little over midday and the road was fairly _crowded_ than it was the last time he checked. Well, ten people per street felt crowded when he hadn't seen a soul back in the dungeon. Seeing what the villagers are like, he might as well consider walking through empty streets.

Both women and men were as pale as Sai and Hisakata, everyone in this unnamed village, excluding Soreda, had violet circles outlining their eyes... a bit like Gaara, but he was still worse for the violet outline had gone black. All of them had sunken cheeks and all looked as if they were composed of skin and bones clad in burlapsack-like clothing.

Aside from Sakura, Soreda, and Hisakata, they all looked like the walking dead, perhaps from straining themselves too much with their unearthly sacrifices. When a drop of a flashback tainted his mind black from remembering what he saw in Soreda's genjutsu with the pile of books, he reckoned one extreme sacrifice that crushed him in a ton of shock and wanted him to squeeze his thighs together from simply imagining how painful it was to sacrifice his prized possession.

His legs turned to slight jelly before immediately averting his sympathetic eyes from a malnourished young man's crotch who was passing by; he gave an unpleasant shudder, shook his head, and marched towards the food district by following the piquant scent of food. Just as he reached the first ramen stand, he nearly froze his blood when he saw Sakura.

He didn't know why and it seemed ridiculous, but he shied away and pressed his back against the side of the stall. Why, oh why was he acting like this? Hadn't he already made love with her, and said that he did just some day ago in that cave? What difference would it make now?

He sighed and decided to give it another go... and then what would he tell her? _'Hi, I just happened to be around and spotted you a mile away because—_man_— you're hair is so pink, so you ready for Konoha?'_ that would be... pathetic. Why did he have to worry with what to say? Can't he just sit down and just enjoy her company, if in the absence of conversation; wouldn't it just be enough to enjoy it in silence? Then that would be weird. Plus, she might begin harassing him with questions he wasn't particularly open to.

Such as, _'why did you ask me to leave you and Hisakata alone in that room?'_ or _'you jerk! Why are you sending me back to Konoha?'_ and maybe add something like, _'Do you know what I had to _lose_ just so that you can get your stupid excuse of a weird glove-blade thingy?' _

Well, he will eventually have that talk about going back to Konoha... he didn't exactly want to... so maybe he can stall until then. But who was he kidding here, if they wanted a safe trip to Konoha, he had to send her over as soon as now. That way the chances of bumping into rogue ninjas were slim.

He sighed. Like he planned, he had to send her over as soon as now.

"Hey Sakura," he greeted before sliding on to the stool on her right. He found her quietly twirling the noodles with the chopsticks on her right, while slumping her left cheek on a fist. She was looking beyond the bowl of ramen that had probably gone cold due to the absence of rising steam.

"Are you ready?" was a question he could've asked... should've asked. That way he would know if it was a good idea to drag her back to Konoha. But at the same time, it didn't seem like the right question to ask right now. He dismissed his momentary pout before grinning as blithely as he could—like his old self, he missed his old self as much as she did... well, he assumed she might.

"So, which Ramen dish would you recommend?" he asked with the energy he once had, even he was quite surprised that he had the heart to summon the remnants of his old self, but with Sakura around, it felt easy.

She lifted her noodles with her chopsticks and watched it sloppily fall back to the soup. He flinched when the lukewarm broth splattered to his face, but she didn't. Naruto pressed his lips together in a tight line before he reached for a nearby napkin and began wiping away the mess on her face

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you shouldn't play with your food, you know?" he dabbed the napkin over her right eyebrow. And yet Sakura impassively, robotically swirling the ramen around her chopsticks, lifting it an inch away from the bowl from time and time again.

He sighed, before asking with newfound vigor, "hey, what's that you're eating? Isn't that Naruto Ramen?" he grinned, trying to throw in some kind of innuendo, "do I taste good?"

Sakura sniffed out her soft chortle before a vacant expression wiped her face clean.

"Hey, did you get the note and tea?" asked Naruto

Bad move.

"You!" she snapped, whipping towards him with an accusing finger a hair's breadth away from his face. He jerked back with a start, did he say something wrong? Apparantly, he did... he just didn't know

"Your welcome...?" he squeaked, _please, oh please, don't harass me with questions based on going back to Konoha_

"You didn't warn me about that heating tag on my mug!" she growled, heaving heavily as he melted under her lethal glare. All bypassers glanced at the couple with interest while some fellow customers spared them a sympathetic gaze. It was kind of a gauche event since Naruto believed these villagers were supposed to be sado-masochistic, and heck, why did they even care? Had they ever heard of minding their own business? He just wished he could shout that out to them, but doing that would mean tearing his attention away from Sakura, and he knew how much she could be sensitive at times like this. She can easily misconstrue that he was ignoring her or finding a way to dodge the issue.

"I'm sorry...?" he swallowed, never really conquering his fear over her wrath. But since he respected her, admired her and loved—correction: loves her, he simply couldn't resist surrendering. He can't stand the effect she had on him, and to be honest he was having difficulty with his choice of sending her back! He was suffering more than she ever was, when in fact, she was also suffering as greatly as he was.

Then, like the way dead leaves flowed with the fleeting breeze, all her fury rolled off in one weary sigh. Her finger lay limp to her side and wore a hangdog frown before reaching out for her glass of water to drink. He watched her; simply stunned that she let him off that easily.

Then she slid off the stool and began walking away. Blinking, he grabbed her bowl, placed his mouth against the rim and swallowed all the ramen and soup. He took off, catching up with her after slamming down a handful of change.

"Hey, what's the hurry?" he asked, walking alongside of her

Sakura kept her arcane gaze on her cemented path, swinging her fists in sync with her strides. It took almost a minute before she answered with a monotonous beat, "The sooner I'm out of the picture, the easier it is for you"

Naruto froze in his track. That hurt. A lot. It came like a massive sledgehammer right at his chest, blowing his heart into bits. While he let the shock settle in so he can move on, he was busy mending his tattered soul.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was already clear for Sakura, and yet Naruto had to play innocent. That hurt her. How can he act as if nothing was wrong and back to normal, when they had gone through so much? Sakura was sensitive and clung dearly to her loved ones, especially those she spent time with the most.

Naruto was by far the closest person she'd ever been with. He was the only person she rather risk her life over instead of walking out on him when they were on the brink of death. She'd readily give him what he wanted just to help him out, and she had never done that unspoken favor to anyone else. That was what made Naruto special to her.

When they were younger, she barely noticed him. And she would have entirely ignored him if he hadn't popped out of no where to talk to her, greet her or simply to anything to get her attention. That eventually became annoying to her and did give Naruto the attention he needed, even if it never meant anything romantic, she still noticed him.

She remembered complaining Naruto to her mother, and her mother would just smile and sigh at her, telling her how pretty her daughter was and how she reminded her of herself when she was younger. Her mother was pretty, but all the handsome boys chased her, not the annoying ones. She also remembered when her mother told her that one day, she'll soon start falling for him, too. Here, her father would always reprimand her mother, scolding his wife for telling such things to their young daughter, by which her mother would just giggle in amusement. Sakura just shuddered morosely.

But who knew her mother turned out to be right. Over the years, that little attention she gave to Naruto grew and it aggravated her. Somehow, he managed to ignite a little something within her that made her stomach churn and boil her bloodstream whenever he showed up, and if she paid attention to those little details she feared that her forced attraction towards Sasuke will alleviate... like it should

Then came the day Sasuke left. That did hurt, and she was truly comforted by Naruto's promises, she was flattered and it only emphasized that bottled-up attraction. Until finally he disappeared for two years. That left her pondering deeply with training to keep her away from confusion. And when he came back to the picture, that feeling she had, managed to leak by just a little bit... this time, she wasn't in denial.

And so that leak kept growing, and growing until it formed a puddle invading her stomach, where she had to build a well for that to keep her emotions in bay and reality in check. She kept the belief she liked Sasuke, until that day where Naruto left again did that dam break... and she supposed that the best part was when he broke it again in the cave.

So here she was, accepting that Naruto was trying to brush her off and throw her back to Konoha after her consistent efforts in catching up with him. And it was quite ironic for her to be the one chasing after him in the end...

This swift string of thoughts rolled up into a yarn, ready to be tossed aside. She should've guessed that the sweet beginnings of a relationship will dawn towards a depressing reign where maturity takes place alongside commitment.

She slowly blinked out of her mind the moment she entered the foyer. Their room, as she noticed, was on the fifth floor of the building, and if she took the stairs her depression will weigh her down, holding her back by at least ten hours to pull herself together. She didn't want to be a nuisance to Naruto, so instead she delusitorily sauntered her way to the nearby elevator for a change and halfheartedly stroked the protruding elevator button, staring beyond the elevator doors.

Her mind was like the barren desert, all the vivid thoughts quieted to measly grains of sand, active waves of fleeting flashbacks silenced to tedious dunes with her scorching conscience searing unrivaled logic down from the cloudless emotions to keep her inhibited from what she wanted.

A sonorous note filled the foyer signifying the arrival of the elevator and the heavy metal doors parted with a grating motion. Her eyes lifted slowly at the same time the doors widened, with her attention torn into strips of oblivion, the sight of a familiar pale face basking under the sunny halogen light emerged. Onyx eyes blew her away the moment it locked with her jade ones, reeling her mental presence into her physical state.

Raven hair framing the sides of his face bore strands of a lost presence, reviving the livid past she unwittingly abandoned long ago. His demeanor was harder and colder than what she last remembered, and his troubled aura seemed to soften. If she dove deeper into those details she now realized she would have missed what he told her.

"You have no idea how long I've been looking for you," he said, his voice like a poisoned arrow sinking into her heart and twisting it so that it opened the wounds she closed, "its good to see you again, Sakura"

She couldn't say the same. His name swirled in her head, but she didn't dare to fish it out. She let it linger, still in a state of shock. It was just a moment ago, she was recovering and now, everything keeps on coming, never granting the space to breathe.

With his right hand sliding out of his pocket, he handed her a folded piece of paper stuck between his index and middle finger. She made no move to accept it, frozen before his presence with a stoic façade trying to defy his existence. With a small sigh through his nose, he shrugged past her, slipping the note in her right hand.

She blinked and inwardly released the unpleasant shudder scattering through her body from the point of contact. The elevator doors began humming closed, snapping a hand forth to let it draw back again, she hurriedly stepped in, facing the foyer and expecting to see him exit. Apprantly, he simply disappeared.

She slightly turned her head to the right, eyes falling to the floor as the door slid shut. The upward motion dragged her logical mind back in place. Was that a hallucination?

The feel of the paper in her hand tingled slightly. She lifted it for her eyes to see and unfolded it hastily, straighting out the creases formed. Her eyes slid over the parchment, digesting words as it embedded deeply in her mind...

_Slowly, the days are coming to an end. One day, we shall finish what we all started. Regretting the things you'll do will not promise satisfaction. Respond with vigor when we meet again, we'll be going all out. You shouldn't look back when we come face to face, just step forward without reluctance._

_Sasuke_


	20. Forewarns Naruto

_Remember the time,  
When I fell into your enchanting eyes?  
Heck, I nearly died from over stimulation  
A week later, I woke up in the hospital  
And realized it was your Tsukiyumi  
_

**Start**

Confessing her love for Naruto and confessing her love to Sasuke were two very different things.

Her love for Sasuke was a psychological process of brainwashing herself constantly by force, converts that form of respect for him to a ravenous idea of fooling herself into _loving_ him. When that inkling idea drowned her mind, it began creeping towards her heart until it was ominously intoxicated. So the day he abandoned her in Konoha, she fell helpless and could do nothing more but cry over it.

Her love for Naruto, on the other hand, began as a small feeling that buried itself into the core of her heart. With his constant shower of attention, that seed of attraction settled down some roots, effectively conquering her foundation of feelings before it inched to her mind at a gradual pace and branch out into the far corners of her mind. This was the key of a stronger affection.

Effectively settling down that raging storm of confusion in her mind, the obvious thought anchored her decision with confidence. She sighed, mentally strained from contemplating the whole hour. Sitting on the edge of their bed with her elbows on her knees and the note in her hands, she read it over once more.

_Slowly, the days are coming to an end. One day, we shall finish what we all started. Regretting the things you'll do will not promise satisfaction. Respond with vigor when we meet again, we'll be going all out. You shouldn't look back when we come face to face, just step forward without reluctance._

_Sasuke_

With her brows unconsciously forming a knot, she realized the depth of this note. It differed from its first glance and she immediately sensed that this was more than a measly note. Having encountered riddles in the past few days, her skills remains untampered, thus she stayed sharp on these matters.

As long as he was still breathing, he would never have the heart to write her a letter, let alone a romantic one. And the way he used his words to string a sentence, though was very much like him, proved a mystery to the tone. What did he mean by the days coming to an end?

And what did they start that he needed to finish? What would she regret that won't leave her happy, why would she respond enthusiastically when they meet again? _We'll be going all out_ is an awkward way to ask her on a date, you don't ask, "you wanna go all out with me?" it would be a weird term to say, "let's fuck after dinner" or even state the permission of a date that would be usually like, "wanna go out with me?" Besides, if he never agreed to any of her dates, why the sudden change now?

Now if she tried to decipher possible meanings, the first line would warn of a global destruction. What was it that they started with Sasuke? Forming bonds? Then the note must be for Naruto since the blonde still clings on dearly to that bond they have. Then if that was the case, the fourth sentence must be forewarning Naruto of a great battle between him and Sasuke. Which means that the second and last sentence was Sasuke telling Naruto to not hesitate when they meet again.

...

Silenced dwelled uncomfortably in the room, just the way death would lurk in a dark corner. Sakura's eyes widened in a gut-clenching form of fear from the momentary state of loss; a little over two years ago, those two young men were ignorant little boys on the hospital rooftop, willing to kill each other over something she never really understood. And here they were now, with Naruto attempting to bring the Uchiha back, while Sasuke still lingered in that ridiculous past.

Comparing the two now, Naruto was far more mature than what Sasuke can ever be.

Sakura felt embarrassed for the Uchiha. The last heir was truly too single-minded to let those little insignificant threads of actions disappear forever and move on to the more important matters of life...

And the door swung open to make way for a blonde to poke his head through the gap and examine her sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing blankly on the floor. She immediately refolded the small note, hiding it from his range of vision.

"Sakura..." began Naruto closing the door behind him. He stood there after that, rather unsure with what he planned to do next. His eyes found it difficult to wander over the quiet pinkette, sitting solitary with the company of misery. But what did he know? He didn't know what dreaded over Sakura's thought, unaware that her mind settled on more morbid grounds of reflection that had something to do with Sasuke.

"I'll take a shower..." mumbled Sakura as she rose to her feet, "then we'll go"

"Ano..." came his will of interruption, had his voice been more confident and reassuring, she wouldn't have stepped out of the conversation quite easily. He planted his hands on his hips and tilted his head back to release his stress in the form of a sigh; she closed the door to the bathroom and the sound of the shower running resonated through the door.

He ruffled his hair with a hand before trudging to their bed, plopping on that one area she once sat on and absorbed the momentary warmth of her presence that still lingered. With his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together and a head hung low, Naruto was once again, at loss.

He knew it was for the better no matter how much he wished it otherwise. He groaned and let himself fall back against the bed; the downy mattress undulated under him from the emitted force for a moment before falling still. Eyes glued to the ceiling, hesitation was the voice of his heart while his conscience chastised the idea away.

He sighed. He didn't want to part ways with Sakura to leave her ignorant with the status of hurt. He didn't want to embed the thought of abandonment in her mind, she had enough of those from Sasuke, and he was no Uchiha. Perhaps, he can talk to her about it, then maybe she would understand and be less hurt. It never hurt to gain reason over knowledge.

Rocking back to his feet, he crept closer to the bathroom door before he paused. Surely he could wait until she was done... but he also missed her so much. It wasn't about lust though... but his need to express his love for her was needed, statements alone, though admitted, was sometimes never enough to seal the sincerity of it all. There was always the saying that actions spoke more than words.

And yet, here he was, hesitating behind the door, listening intently to the cascading water and the dull sounds of where her body meets it. He sighed, closing in his logical thoughts. Turning the knob, he entered as stealthily, and never bothered closing the door.

Behind the translucent curtains, he watched her silhouette move with grace, even if it was the simple procedure of rigorous cleaning. Under the fluorescent light, her skin seemed to radiate her beauty and even then the curtains cannot conceal that very fact. Blood rushed through his veins, igniting a lost flame to course through his system with need and want.

It wasn't long before she halted and turned her head, gazing at him through the curtain from the looks of the sudden appearance of two glowing green eyes.

"Naruto?" she asked, her voice echoing distinctly in the room. Oh how he couldn't wait to hear her say his name through various tones. Silence tumbled in the room along with the icy draft that sent her visibly shuddering under the shower.

"Are we running late in your schedule?" the way she said it, so calm and... professional... truly confusing him at that moment. A frown escaped his stunned outlook...

"Fine," she said, turning to close the knob of the shower, "can you please hand me a towel?"

Naruto blinked... why won't she come out and get it. They have, after all, seen each other's skin before. It wouldn't really make a difference now, right?

Valiantly, he slid the curtains open, leaving Sakura stunned. Her hands flew erratically to cover herself and wear a curiously scared demeanor. Naruto didn't want her to stare at him like that. It wasn't the kind of look she'd give to a complete stranger or an endearing lover. And that was what sunk the blade of pain deeper into his heart.

He stepped out of his sandals and walked in the shower, looking down at Sakura who avoided his gaze. Her hands now pressed further against her moist skin, and her damp pink locks stuck to her shoulders and face. They stayed like that

"What are you doing, Naruto?" she asked timidly

Without answering, he lifted his right hand and turned the knob of the shower, letting warm water cascade down on them. He let his clothes get soaked, despite the fact that his trenchcoat remained resistant. And so he slid out of it and randomly tossed it over the curtains, his eyes still gazing down at her.

"Look at me," pleaded Naruto with a very low voice and she did without a second thought, blinking away the water that entered her eyes, leaving her no choice but to squint. Her cheeks had dusted a pink blush over her nose, her lips displayed promised softness, and his hands found its way to cup her face.

"I'm sorry," he breathed to her lips, "I never meant to hurt you"

Sakura remained quiet. Instead of worrying the fact that he was clothed in the shower with her with the water running down on them, she paid full attention to their proximity, to his voice, to his touch and to the cold air that summoned the perkiness to her breasts. Tears stung her eyes... or was it the water... it never really mattered to her right now.

"I know," she answered and before long his lips sealed the gap between them, his tongue slipping past her lips as hers slid over his; declaring the unspoken battle for the dominance, she mewled when one of his hands palmed her right breast, her hands slid on his arms and gripped him there. He didn't add in pressure or slide his palm against her nipple, he just placed it there, warming it up with pleasure and releasing that heated river from the pit of her stomach to deluge her frigidity.

**Lemon Warning**

He grunted in pleasure when he felt her nipples press through the fabric of his drenched shirt and on to his skin and deepened the kiss by diving deeper into her orifice. Her fingers slid through his golden locks and massaged his scalp, coaxing him to perform a more adventurous feat; a moan escaped his throat in the form of an ethereal growl. Hands slid down her back and thighs, inching closer to her inner extracting a mewl from her lips that vibrated in his mouth.

She gasp when he lifted her up; legs automatically locking around his waist as he pressed his clothed body against her smooth skin, pinning her softly against the cold, tiled wall. The way her fingertips gently stroked his scalp in small circles affected him greatly, triggering his excitement. Brashly scaling her mouth with intensified vigor, a sensual moan tore from her throat that pulled her back into an arch. He groaned at the feel of her breasts that prodded against his chest, it had indeed been a long while since he held her this close.

His lips trailed smoothly from her lips to her jaw, suckling her ear, deeply washed with the churning in her stomach, her mouth fell open to relieve a breathy gasp of his name. He grunted her name back when she rolled her hips against his, his knees nearly trembled from the sensation before he hungrily devoured her taut bead with an expert tongue with a hand kneading the other quite endearingly, earning another gasp of his name.

"I missed you," he breathed to her chest

"Me too" she groaned. His hands supported her, burying his face against her flesh, tongue swirling against the soft, pink skin of her fleshy braes. He whimpered when he felt her fingers slightly brush against his tip and shaft until his pants fell into a puddle around his ankles.

He rocked his hips against hers and a long breathy moan elicited from her throat, he clung on to her tightly as her hands slid against his slick back. She whimpered when he halted only to gasp when she felt a thick intrusion enter her mellifluous entrance, her head lolled to the side as Naruto watched her with an intense gaze.

When she saw him through a half-lidded gaze, she blushed furiously; pink lips slightly parted when he dove deeper and reached an area of pleasure around her. Another quick pause came at hand as they anxiously prepared themselves for comfort, her hands held his shoulders tightly, while his right arm hooked her left leg, with the other palming the wall next to her.

Soon he drew out of her and slowly buried himself into her; "_hah..._" breathed Sakura, shuddering from the pleasure spilling through every corner of her body, eyes rolling under her lids. Naruto pressed his body slighty closer to her as her hands slipped under the hem of his shirt, sliding her hands against his chiseled chest.

Planting chakra on his feet, he began shoving himself quickly against her, his hardened rod grinding against her walls at a rapid pace. Sakura's breath had gone ragged as she inched in closer to the benchmark of pleasure, her breasts wobbled no longer in sync with his rhythm, sublty brushing against his bare chest after sliding his shirt over his chest, relishing the slick sliding of abdomens against each other. Moans fluidly escaped her lips, tumbling in the syllables of his name—_Ugh..._

Her orgasm escalated into a greater magnitude from the way he dug deeper into her with a furious pace, fingers harshly dug against the flesh she held on to and her legs jerked in sudden elation before her toes curled. Her breath hitched, his rhythm gone far too quick for her to even let out a gasp.

Failing to keep her moans in bay, it resonated clearly against the walls along with the sound of the shower running and the sound of slapdash smacking against each other. Sakura whined, and gritted her teeth as her face contorted into sheer pleasure, fingers scratched deeply against his shoulders after sliding her hands up to expose his torso to her.

"_Sakura..._" growled Naruto before heaving himself harder into her, savoring her covulsing walls. His senses dulling to further emphasize the sensation plunging him closer to the magnified sensation working in his shaft, his ears tingled to the level of her voice singing out his name. He groaned as his whole body tensed, everything about her rattled him out of his self control as his hands flew to her hips and began bouncing her harshly against his pole.

"_Look at me_" he huskily grumbled, trying to refrain from shutting his eyes to watch a blush smother her face and reactions twist her beauty into blinding bliss. She pressed her back against the wall, hair stuck to it as her mouth dropped open to sigh out his name. He slightly whimpered when he felt it coming soon.

Sakura breathed out throatily; with her head tilted back she gazed at him through hooded eyes, "_Harder_" she mewled.

Naruto gratefully complied, pulled out half-way and began jerking his shaft against her tightening walls. Sakura bit her bottom lip, refraining from breathing any more, lest she'd lose herself. She gazed at Naruto, everything surrounding her peripheral vision darkened as she drowned into his blue eyes and focused on the intrusion injecting every wave of exhilaration, she undulated under him, quivering greater than the last when he pulled and pushed his rod at an impressive breakneck speed against her. Her head thrashed about, as the dull throbbing grew to a vivid prod grinding against her constricting walls, and then she moved to arch her back—

"_Naruto!_" she gasped sharply, clamping down against him, he grunted in surprise before he felt her moisten him further. Groaning harshly, Naruto clutched her hips and angled himself so that he coarsely jostled himself deeper to the hilt, losing himself to his animalistic desperation to release into her, shuddering brutally with each hump until—

_"Sakura..._" he grunted, releasing into her. Breathing heavily, Naruto gingerly rested his head between the valley of her breasts, feeling her heart race just as wildly as his. Slowly lowering her down to the floor, Naruto relieved a small smile at her, to which she responded to greatly.

Both began smothering each other in an exhilarating kiss that told them everything and nothing through such sweet, deep, heated kiss. She sat on his lap, burying herself against his shaft while holding his face with gentle hands. He, on the other hand, pulled her closer, with a hand on the small of her back while the other pulling her down to his needy kiss.

Finally tearing away with hesitance, they stared at each other once more, innocently memorising the other's features.

"I really don't want to send you back, Sakura-chan," he explained

"I know," she whispered back. She gasped when he rose to his feet while carrying her at the same time, she drew in once more to another kiss, feeling him explore her mouth with arduous passion until she felt the downy surface of their bed encase her back.

"Naruto," breathed Sakura when he humped into her, "there's something I have to show you..." she moaned

"Oh really?" he breathed excitedly in her ear, never breaking the pattern he set himself within her. His right hand palming her knee to the side as he buried deeper into her, she moaned into his neck, "what is it?" he grunted out each word per hump

"A note... stop…" she breathed, "you have to _see_ it..."

"We can get to that later, Sakura-chan" he purred against her ear, tracing it gently with his tongue. She shivered under his touch, "_Hah... _it's from... _someoneyou'vebeenlookingfor_—"

He stopped... completely stopped and held still. Sakura began smothering his neck with soft, wet, kisses, stroking his back and hair before he pulled away from her. Such soft shifts of motion grew sensitive to Sakura's walls; deep mesmering blue eyes bore deeply into her with a distressed hint

"Sasuke?"

Too lazy to dress themselves up, Sakura showed him the note and explained what she thought of it. Naruto agreed to her perception before he let her off to change. After withdrawing the clothes haphazardly placed all over the bathroom, she twisted his pants dry, slightly stretching the fabric by accident. Before moving to find his trenchcoat by the sink and patted the water droplets off.

The moment she reentered the room, Naruto was found sitting on the edge of the bed with a pen in hand and the note in the other. Curious, she hopped next to him, kneeling behind him later on. She rested her chin against the crook of his right neck with her arms wrapped around his chest. She loved it when he let her cuddle him like that.

Reading over his shoulder, he highlighted certain letters from the note and showed it to her.

"He's trying to tell us something, Sakura-chan" he said, holding the pen with the same hand that held the paper just so that his right was free to cup her cheek. Sakura nodded against his hand before she began kissing him softly on the neck, she felt him shudder.

"Look," said Naruto, and she did

_Slowly, the days are coming to an end. One day, we shall finish what we all started. Regretting the things you'll do will not promise satisfaction. Respond with vigor when we meet again, we'll be going all out. You shouldn't look back when we come face to face, just step forward without reluctance._

"First line, he warns us of world destruction, this is a giveaway—he warns us of Akatsuki. Second, you may be right that he's trying to break our bonds, but if Akatsuki needs the Kyuubi from me, they need me alive. He won't be killing me, he'll be handing me over to them..."

"He's joined Akatsuki?" queried Sakura

"Possibly so, this leads us to the third line, he's telling us to defend ourselves no matter what, then—"

"How can you tell?"

Naruto shrugged, "usually, if teme wants me dead, he wants to be the cause of my death. Obviously, he doesn't want Akatsuki to kill me just yet, so he expects me to defend myself well against them—see? _Respond with vigor when we meet again, we'll be going all out_. Responding with vigor and going all out means Akatsuki has all the other eight, I'm the last one and they'll do anything to get me. And the fourth, is just repeating that I should take care and never hold back when fighting..."

When silence settled in, Sakura dragged him out from his stupor, "what is it?"

"Sasuke is worrying over me," deadpanned Naruto

"Haha, very funny. That's bull Naruto, you know how much he wants you dead..." her voice fell at the realization, "and besides, how can you tell?"

Naruto began circling out five letters from the note and pointed it with his pen, "aside from the fact that he keeps telling me to take care... what does this say?"

_**S**__lowly, the days are coming to an end. __**O**__ne day, we shall finish what we all started. __**R**__egretting the things you'll do will not promise satisfaction. __**R**__espond with vigor when we meet again, we'll be going all out. __**Y**__ou shouldn't look back when we come face to face, just step forward without reluctance._

Sakura released a quivering breath, "it says, _**SORRY**_"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Did you give them the letter?" asked Madara

Sasuke ignored him as he leaned against a wall on the dark corner of the room, arms folded over his chest across his chest as his gaze rested vacantly on the ground

"Sasuke?" called Madara

"Yeah."

"Good."

Casting a silenced glare to the masked Akatsuki he strode out of the room and shoved his hands into his pocket, withdrawing another note from one of them. He unfolded it and read it through

_Naruto, _

_Meet me on Valley of the End._

_Sasuke_

The young Uchiha crumpled it with one hand before releasing a quick, yet mild Katon jutsu to burn it to ashes. He kept the handful in his pocket as he headed deeper into the dark corridor. He knew that the dobe deserved more than being lead into a death trap. It wasn't that he wanted him alive... its just that he didn't want Naruto to die unprepared...

After all, this wasn't just a fight between the two of them now.

_**To Be Continued...**_

**A/N: This may possibly the chapter that will signify the long pause. I will try my best to scavenge a computer since my mom will be using my laptop... I have an apple desktop but I don't exactly have a table for that in the new place...**

**Anyways, I'll be looking forward to reviews. As I've said, The pause will start on the twenty fifth of June. And hopefully, this whole fic will end by the twenty fifth chapter... if not, a little over or maybe less. It'll have to depend on how this story flows, until then, that should be my goal.**

**Love your support, Readers and Reviewers.**

**Oh, and Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, I'm thanking you once again, and I just loved the way you began freaking out when you thought I'm giving some SasuSaku moments, heh. Anyway, not here to insult you, I'm granting you the permission to revise Organized Chaos, at least you're not demanding it from me like someone I know... **


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